ReBirth
by 6Fortius9
Summary: Dying in a car accident wasn't his ideal way to go, but neither was being reborn into Kuroko no Basuke as Seijuro's cousin. Well, at least he had eyes this time round, right? Shounen ai (Soft Yaoi), Incest OC x GoM [ON HIATUS]
1. Chapter 1

ReBirth Chapter 1

-x-

"_LOOK OUT!"_

_The deafening honk that followed the horrified yell shook his entire body, but he ignored it all and rushed forward, towards that tiny life on the road._

_Tiny footsteps…Those small and tiny footsteps which had just been trotting curiously in the streets a moment ago turned, and a stifled gasp escaped parted lips when realization settled. The child's eyes went wide, his voice lost in his throat, and a dull thud resounded as the basketball slipped from his soft hands._

_The truck was still moving. A second honk was followed by a scream of terror._

"_It won't stop!" _

_He could imagine it all. The unnaturally wide and blood-shot eyes of the driver as he realized that the brake was jammed, the muted yells from the clamorous crowd, the quivering small child quaking like a leaf on a stormy day. He could see it all in his mindscape._

_But he was helpless to stop it._

_Even with his highest speed at the moment, there was no way he could reach the child and get them both back safely in time. If anything, the truck would definitely collide just seconds after he reaches the child, the humongous impact crushing both their bodies. And it would be impossible for both of them to survive._

_But somehow, if he could only reach the child in time…!_

_The courageous teen gritted his teeth as he forced his weakened body to accelerate, exerting a greater force on his legs. _Faster, faster...!_ He has to save the child. He couldn't possibly leave him to death's clutches._

_With a weak exhale, the child was enveloped safely in his arms, an astonished gasp expelled from his chest. There were soft whimpers as the child (a boy, his mind identified subconsciously) clung on to his only source of comfort. The teen only smiled at the boy with empathy. The knowledge that he was going to die, that _they_ were going to die seems to have sunk in._

'But sorry to disappoint you, fate,'_ Blank amber eyes sharpened into a calculative glare. _'I won't be letting you harm anyone today.'

_Briskly, he folded the child into a small ball, ignoring the wondering eyes that were blinking up at him. When he was done, he smiled comfortingly to the boy as he petted him on the head, a soft whisper settling on his lips._

"_I'm giving up my life for yours, so live your life to the fullest."He chuckled, as if he was sharing the world's greatest secret._

_The truck was just five meters away from them now._

_The child protested. "What are you talking abou-"_

_Four._

_Once again, muting out the words of the child which he dismissed as gibberish, he lowered the circular mess of a boy he had in his arms and threw – a stunning jump shot that would have fallen straight into the basket without a doubt._

_Three._

_The clamorous crowd released stunned, mangled sounds as the boy fell straight into the center of them, using them as human cushions. The boy struggled to get up, shouting vigorously._

_Two._

"_HURRY UP AND RUN!" he cried._

_One._

_The teen smiled. Blind eyes flickered closed._

_Zero._

-x-

**Year 1**

Pain, might have been the first thing he expected to feel. Afterall, what was death without any pain? The emotional pain that follows with a dull throb of longing and loss, or the searing heat that would surged through his body. He had expected one of these two to happen to him, yet surprisingly, there was no pain at all.

…Was he even still human?

Shiori Kazune released a shaky breath as his five senses began returning to him.

First was the sense of smell, of course. There was a foreign smell of baby powder, along with some rose perfume that he found himself strongly attached to for some reason.

Next was the sense of taste. His mouth felt strange, with the remains of some baby milk and other contents which his artistic side cringed at. It was not surprising that he hated the taste. Afterall, he had always despised how the texture and tastes of food ruins their appearances and forms. At times, it even made him wish he had a lead tongue instead. How pleasing that would be.

Then, the sense of taste was followed by the sense of touch. He found himself bundled in multiple layers of warm blankets that felt soft to touch. _A bed_, he realized.

His sense of hearing returned to him, and much to his relief, it had not deteriorated in the slightest bit. It had always been his guiding sense after he had lost his sight, so it would certainly be troublesome if it was to disappear.

And lastly, he bate his breath in anticipation as light finally broke through the darkness of his eyes. For the first time in six years, he saw light and colors, filtering through his blank, supposedly blind eyes, and he was in awe of it all.

The first sight that greeted his eyes was an azure sky that spread out magnificently before him, only obscured by the fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily before it. His breath was literally taken away by that indescribably beautiful scene that was found outside a small window, like a painting framed with white.

Time slipped away as he was admiring the sky, before he finally reluctantly turned away with a pout and scanned his vicinity. And froze.

Baby products. He was lying in a large orange cot. Milk powder was strewn all over the ground. Diapers were dumped into a corner. Whoever had babysat him clearly didn't have any mothering ability.

Then it clicked.

Babysit.

He was a baby.

A baby.

A BABY.

He was…reincarnated?

"WUAAAAAHHH!"

The sudden loud cry of an infant broke him out of his trance.

Kazune flinched at way the sound tore out of the infant's mouth – a heart wrenching cry that clawed mercilessly at his heart, pulling it towards the source of the voice.

It was at these times that he really regrets having hyper sensitive hearing.

Kazune sighed as he glanced thoughtfully at the bars in his cot that prevented him from reaching out. …How do babies do this again?

With fidgety hands, he threw the blanket over the cot, tightening one end firmly on one bar – He wouldn't want to permanently damage this body before he even get a chance to play basketball again. Gingerly, he reached towards the bars of the cot and pulled hard, small arms straining as he pushed himself over the edge, before finally lowering himself with the help of his blanket-and-now-rope.

Kazune smiled when his feet touched the ground. That was unexpectedly easy, but there was still one thing to do.

Using the blanket as a support which he clings to, he thoughtfully lifted one leg, swinging it behind him, and tried to balance on the other. When he had himself righted up, he did the same with the other, barely stumbling this time. Then, he repeated the cycle for several times.

He chuckled (and an odd giggling sound escaped him, creeping him out). With the head start he now has, he might just be able to become the fastest basketball player if he does this daily. That is definitely an advantage. He mentally made a note to practice a hundred of these every day, just so he would be able to play basketball faster.

"Wa…aaah!"

Kazune sighed at the reminding cry, shaking his head lightly at his absentmindedness. He had completely forgotten his original objective.

As he got on his feet, staggering unstably towards the opened door, Kazune wondered mildly wondered what type of a family he has now.

A generous, mild-mannered mother? A stern but upright father? And perhaps, an adorable little brother? Somehow, he doubted all of the above. Afterall, what type of a mother would leave her toddler (since he could walk now) alone in such an untidy room? And his assumed younger brother seems awfully noisy.

Kazune imprinted a map of the house to the back of his head as he travelled through the hallways.

Was he adapting too quickly to this situation? The teen-in-a-child's-body paused for a short moment. Normal teens might be depressed over their losses, but he never really did have any attachment to his last life.

Shiori Kazune was an orphan without family. After a car accident which robbed him of his eyes, he was only dropped further down on the list of potential adoptees. And he was fine with that. Nobody ever bothered him at the adoption center and so, quietly, he moved out to live by himself.

In school, he was the model student. He scored excellently on every subject with ease despite his disability, top of the nationals even. Many clubs and societies were after him, and even though sports rejected him at first, they soon became the same. He accepted them all, lending a hand every once so often, at the same time falling helplessly for basketball.

But despite the huge masses of people throwing themselves at him, he never did have a true friend. There were no people who had really cared for his wellbeing on the other side, so he supposed his passing wouldn't change much.

Kazune gave a rueful smile, when his sensitive ears caught the sounds of sniffling.

Turning around the wall, he blinked in surprise when he noticed the small figure crouching on the ground, whimpering in pain.

Red. He was red, was Kazune's first, stunned impression.

And indeed, he was. The sniffling child was no more than a year old, with a body that was quite tall (or long?) for his age. Short scarlet locks that gleamed vibrantly in the light framed the refined features that the child possessed highlighting the paleness of his skin. Kazune was taken aback when the child opened his eyes to reveal striking scarlet red, the same color as his hair.

_Akashi Seijuro!_

Kazune slapped a palm over his mouth, eyes wide with astonishment.

Even before his accident, he had known about 'Kuroko no basket'. Even though he had only taken a peek at it once or twice, it had been enough to get him hooked on, and despite losing his eyes, he still sought out the anime club every now and then to get them to describe the visionaries to him.

It was one thing to listen and 'watch' Kuroko no basket, but to think that he was in the show itself…!

Kazune was speechless.

And Akashi continued sobbing.

It was then that Kazune noticed the angry red scar on the child's arm, the river of blood flowing from the wound, and the sharp scissors that gleamed menacingly in the light.

The teen-turned-child didn't hesitate.

He staggered forward, wrapping his arms gingerly around the strangely vulnerable child, kissing on him gently on the forehead. His breath hitched, sobs turned into whimpers which turned into hiccups, and large scarlet eyes turned to him, still glazed with tears.

Kazune smiled warmly at him and ruffled his hair.

"_It's fine now, Akashi. I'm here."_

"Ish fah naw, Akashi. Ai'm her."

He froze in horror, choking on the horrible mess of words that came out. Well, it's just another thing to add to the long list of what he would have to regain. He was relieved that 'Akashi' came out right, though unknown to him, it was Kazune's first word.

_Drip…drip…drip._

"Oh, rait, ve stil hav to trit dat woun! (Oh, right, we still have to treat that wound!)" He exclaimed, jumping up in shock.

And as he fretted and fussed tirelessly over the long gash on the other infant, he failed to notice the adoring yet protective gleam that came into fiery red eyes of Akashi Seijuro.

-x-

**Akashi Seijuro**

Alone. Alone.

He was alone in the big house.

Parents. They left him. Again.

Then a gleam. Shiny.

He wants it.

But hurts. Injures. Harmful.

He hates the thing.

It hurts.

It hurts.

Then orange.

Orange hair. Orange eyes.

He smiles. Hugged him.

Touch…head.

…Nice.

He is nice.

Smells nice, feels nice.

He likes him.

Wants. Him.

His. His. His. His.

HIS.

Haruka is his.

-x-

**Year 1 Month 2**

Prodigy. That's what they call him now. A Prodigy.

Every time Kazune – or his official name now, Sorenji Haruka – heard that term, he would get an irresistible urge to throw a punch in their faces. So what if he managed to walk at around age one? So what if he started forming sentences and speaking fluently in five languages nearly two months later? It didn't mean a single thing to them, did it?

He hated that word. No, loathed it. It was that single term which had destroyed his life in the past, preventing him from making true, sincere friends. He didn't want to be labeled that right after he arrived in this world.

Haruka exhaled softly in frustration as he tightened a white spotted green tie on his white button up and glanced at his own reflection, still unused to seeing a younger version of himself.

There, standing in the mirror, was a young child of one year old, staring inquisitively back at him. The boy was slightly short for his age, with an angelic expression on his face that might get him onto television shows. Framing that doll-like face was a charming array of orange curls, highlighting the gentle sizzling fire that burned in large amber eyes.

In short, the boy was an _angel._

And even though the reflection was his, he always felt his self-esteem being lowered by such an image.

With such an appearance, there was no doubt that others would have high expectations of him. People would expect him to act the way they think he will act, and even though he usually didn't care about the public's opinion of him, the pressure was still there, waiting for him to crack.

Haruka wondered how he had handled it as a child, especially when the orphanage had revealed him as a prodigy of music, before he remembered that he had reacted badly to pressure.

At first, he had been submissive to their demands, competing in all competitions before he eventually rebelled and made a mess of everything and every house he got forced into. This was the main reason why nobody wanted to adopt him then.

But at least, it was better now.

Afterall, he was not alone.

He had Seijuro now.

Haruka beamed brightly as he arrived at the intimidating, large mansion of the Akashi family, bouncing up the stairs to Akashi's room and giving the passing servants kind smiles. They returned the smile, already all too used to the toddler who now comes and goes as he wished.

It has not been more than two months ago, that the master of the household had returned with his cousin, cousin-in-law, and their son on hand. The trio had moved into the neighborhood just half a year ago into the region, unaware that the Akashi had rooted themselves in the same area until they bumped into each other.

At first, the servants had been wary of the child, afraid that he might not get along with the antisocial young master, but their worries were quelled when one day, they found the two playing by the pond, laughing without a care in the world. That was the first time any of them saw their young master smile. And this, in addition to the Sorenji's giving, mild nature to even servants as low as themselves, was more than enough for them to accept Haruka as one of the Akashi's, many labeling him as their nephew or family in their minds.

Haruka gave a gentle curve of the lips as he arrived on the scene of a peacefully sleeping Seijuro, ruefully thinking of how he might change in the future into that strict, angry captain of the basketball club.

_No use thinking about that now…_ He shook his head, gently pushing a strand of hair behind Seijuro's ear, when he noticed something.

"Wah! Seijuro, you're burning up!" He panicked. He looked around. "What to do?! What should I do?!"

What did those medical students once said again? When injured, apply pressure – no, not that one. Cracking your fingers are harmful – not that either. When one is sick, you should put an ice pack on their head to lower their temperature, change their clothes to get rid of excessive sweat, and feed them white porridge…? Finally!

"Seijuro, I'm going down to get the maids to cook you porridge! And get an ice pack! And maybe an extra blanket and clothes while I'm at it!" He was stopped by a hand on his wrist.

"Wei…Ha…lu…" If anything, the weak wheezing of his taller friend only encouraged his inner monologue.

"AHHHH! Somebody, call a doctor! Call the doctor with the highest degree in the country! NOW!"

"Kam doun…Ha…ru…" Seijuro's face scrunched up.

"Is there anything you need, Sei?" Haruka asked in concern as he finally settled down.

"Ha…lu…ca." Seijuro looked oddly focused.

"…Yes?" The mentioned person only furrowed his brows, confused.

"Ha…ru…ka."

"Urm…hai?" A gleam of realization fell upon his face when he realized what Seijuro was attempting, trying but failing to contain his excitement.

"Haru…ka."

"Haluka."

"Haruca."

"Haruka."

"Yes!" The orange child hugged the red boy in his happiness, causing a surprised look to befall upon the other's features before they smoothened out into a smile that embodied his happiness. "That's my name, Seijuro. 'Haruka'!"

It certainly wasn't much of achievement for a teen-turned-child like Haruka, but it definitely was for a normal child who was barely one like Seijuro. Inwardly, Haruka thought he finally understood now, why the adults made so much of a fuss when he spoke fluently before their faces.

If only he had known that there was this much pride and happiness contained within a single word, he would have taught Seijuro to speak earlier!

"Haruka." Seijuro repeated, smiling as his grip tightened possessively on the smaller boy. "Haruka."

-x-

**Year 1 Month 6**

"Home Tutor Session?" Haruka's brows scrunched up disapprovingly. "So…fast?"

"Hai, all other parents are doing the same nowadays, what's with the challenging education system and all. You will be following Seijuro-kun's example and attending the same classes as him." His father said.

Haruka scanned his father's eyes apprehensively, frowning as he did so.

Even though he calls Sorenji Ryuusuke 'otou-sama', really, he treated the man more as a friend than a father. It could be due to the fact that he never did have any parental figure in his past life, but this was the first time the man has ever used his authority as his father in the past half year or so, and it unnerved him.

"You're lying." Haruka said calmly.

Ryuu, short for Ryuusuke, blinked, taken aback by his son's sudden statement. The way he said it, it sounded as if it was a simple, mere fact and not a claim.

"Why would you doubt me?" The man questioned, partly out of curiosity for the boy's reasons.

"Otou-sama, even though you are a businessman who works twenty-four hours around the clock, you have always placed family first on the list. That has been demonstrated during my birthday and okaa-sama and your wedding anniversary, when you gave up an important contract for it. You will never dare to sacrifice my precious childhood, for the mere sake of creating a money-making machine, even if you are concerned about my future." Large amber eyes narrowed, daring him to confirm it.

Ryuu stared, his eyes wide. Was this really a one and a half year old child before him? No, not even a ten years old boy would speak to him in such an intelligent manner.

"Oh, and also, Japan's nursery intake per year is only 60 percent, most of which coming from double working parents household. I doubt there is anyone who would tutor a child aged two." Haruka added pensively as a second thought, fingering his chin.

Ryuu stared, and Haruka returned the gaze uncomfortably.

"…What?"

"Haruka, since when have you grown up so much?" The odd question asked set off alarm bells in the child's head, and he ducked his head to hide his expression.

"Nevermind." Ryuu brushed off the question, kneeling down to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Haruka, I know what I said about the education system certainly is wrong, but Akashi-san is most definitely making Seijuro-kun take up additional classes now." Ryuu whispered, almost conspiratorially. "I'm extremely worried about what his teacher may teach him, or what he might even brainwash him with. I happen to know a few of his students personally, and to be honest, I can't say that their personality have turned out alright. Hence, I want you to join him in the classes to watch over him and if you see any signs of propaganda or drastic personality change, come and inform me at once."

Haruka remained silent.

Ryuu's tensed expression mellowed out.

"I'm sorry for pinning this duty on you, but –"

"I'll do it."

"Eh?" Surprise flickered through his face.

"Sei's my friend afterall, and friends help each other." The light filtered through the window pane and shone on his face, where a mask of determination hung. "I'll do it."

_I'll do it._

The words he said then echoed through his mind now as he stared at his new tutor in aghast, stunned and disgusted by the first words he said the moment he walked through the door.

"Winning is everything."

And like a slithering snake, it slid up his arm, wrapping numerous times around it as the tutor started off on a long monologue about how winning was everything and why losers are trash, the humiliation, the pain of regretting and pain of discipline, and on and on, he continued like a hypnotist.

Haruka quickly shook off the imaginary snake, turning to glance at Seijuro and was horrified when he saw the deep trance that Seijuro was falling into, hanging on the tutor's every word.

Was this how Seijuro was influenced in the original story? Was this why the idea of failing or losing had become a taboo to Seijuro? Haruka was not surprised that Seijuro ended up the way he did. Being exposed to such a propaganda speech at the impressionable age of two, it is possible that the tutor's words were all etched into Seijuro's mindset, even though he doesn't remember the memory.

Was his Seijuro going to…change?

Images of a stoic, broken red haired teen playing head-to-head with his former teammates and even threatening to gouge his own eyes out flickered across his mind. If he let this continue, Seijuro would be injured, he would be scarred mentally for the next one and a half decade of his life. Seijuro would _change_.

Haruka's breathing deepened and his face darkened as the tutor spewed more beautiful words about winning, blithely ignoring their reactions to his speech. His fingers curled on his lap, turning into balls of shaking white fists, before he finally had enough and had his blood up.

He was going to crush, crumple, and pulverize this man for good.

A minute dark smirk hidden behind a small palm and a momentary shadow which flickered through his eyes was the only warning Shunichi Sato had, before Haruka eloquently whipped his hand into the air.

"…Yes?" Sato shifted his glasses, mildly irritated at the disturbance.

"So, Sato-san, your main point of this lecture is that 'Winning is everything', ne?" Haruka smiled angelically, tilting his head in an adorable manner.

"Of course. Have you not gotten it? Let me repeat my speech then-"

"That's unnecessary. More importantly, tell us more about yourself, Sato-san," Haruka smiled slyly. "What year did you graduate in?"

"Eh-hem!...2003." The disgruntled scholar replied crudely. The nerve of this kid…to dismiss him so simply.

Propaganda had been the main purpose of this whole speech, of course. It had been what he has done over the years, monopolizing the minds of his students and brainwashing their minds into thinking that 'Winning is everything', and how 'There is no need for losers'. This method has been the one which got him up the ladder continuously, allowing his reputation to reach even the media. With such a mindset implemented and programmed into their subconscious minds, his students would study and do all the work for him – there would be no need for him to lift even one finger – and he would get promoted, gradually becoming the famous tutor in the world's eyes, when it was simply a matter of psychology.

…Until now, of course.

Shunichi Sato glared at the two children out of the corner of his eyes, blanching in disgust. Of all things, why had his superior asked him to tutor these brats? They should barely be out of their diapers, yet alone sitting in the same room as him.

The child on the left seemed fully pacified, lost in his usual mind control. Yet, the orange haired monster on the right was lost to his teachings, a stupid smile on his face. Urgh! This was why he hated kids. They were much harder to manipulate than teens.

Meanwhile, amber eyes watched the tutor warily, analyzing his body speech patterns and reading the disgust shown through it. A sharp glint came into his eyes and he smiled inwardly.

How obnoxious the teen is, to think he had them fooled.

A pale hand from under the table cautiously reached out to the other's, sliding a smooth black tape into his palms.

Seijuro was brought out of his trance, giving him an emotionless gaze (that conveyed the confusion which only Haruka could read) which he completely ignored in favor of listening to the sweet, running sound.

It's running…It's running…Sweet revenge would soon be his.

"Oh? If I remember clearly…" Haruka leaned forward, folding both arms on the table in mimicry of a focused person. "Your name is Shunichi Sato-san, ne?"

"So what about it?"

"Eh…" Haruka smiled sweetly at him. "In 2003, the best graduate in Japan was Sei's Otou-sama, Akashi Hayato-san, second in place was my otou-sama, Sorenji Ryuuichi, and third in place was Sei's Okaa-sama, Akashi Miyato. Your name was never in the top 10. You are not a winner – does that mean you do not have everything?"

"Wha-" Sato stared at him, bewildered as beads of cold sweat formed on his neck. He looked away. "The past does not matter, only the present is the most important."

A brief smirk appeared. He caught his tail. Even Seijuro looked suspicious now.

"Then…" A small palm came up mockingly. "To test out that philosophy of yours…let's play janken, shall we?"

"EH?" The question hovered over Sato's head.

Seijuro looked at him in confusion, wondering what his objective was.

"We'll play three times, if you lose, you shall resign from being our mentor, seeing as if you're a hypocrite and all." A shadow crossed over his face for a split second. "However, if you are able to win, I will acknowledge you as our tutor and even ask our fathers to double your paycheck."

"D-Double!" The tutor exclaimed in shock, eyes bulging from his sockets.

"That's right, double." Haruka smiled sweetly. "So are you up to it?"

"Wait, Haruk –" Seijuro started.

"Yes!" Damn, he wasn't going to miss on such a chance!

"Then…jan…ken…pon!"

Scissors against rock.

"I win." Haruka beamed at the expression on the other's face.

"Again, jan…ken…pon!"

Paper against rock.

"Hmph!" The tutor let out a snotty huff.

"Last round. You ready?" Haruka smiled sweetly at the man. "This time, I will be choosing scissors."

"Eh-?" Eyes widened in surprise. S-Scissors? Is this a trick? Why is the kid revealing his moves?!

"Then we're starting…Jan…Ken…Pon!"

Paper against…scissors.

"Wha-" The man was agape, staring at his hands as if they were to be blamed.

Haruka chuckled and tilted his head adorably at Sato as he sang all too cheerfully.

"You lose ~! It's my win!"

Akashi Seijuro blinked in surprise as his smaller friend locked on firmly to his wrist, dragging him to his feet. The redhead just barely had time to slide the tape into his pocket when Sorenji Haruka grabbed his hand, shaking with an unquenchable anger that manifested itself in the form of a gentle grip.

"As you promised, you must now quit." Haruka murmured quietly, hiding his face behind locks of orange hair.

"W…Wha…!" Sato shook with rage which finally exploded like a volcano. "How dare you?! You think I would let myself be fired because of you two brats?! You think you can ruin my reputation so simply?! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

The man rushed forward, grabbing Haruka's shoulders in a painful grip and shaking him like a ragged doll.

Red eyes turned menacing, as they oozed with blood lust at the tutor. Seijuro silently grabbed the nearest, glinting object from the table, staring at the sensei contemplatively as he fingered the tip, not hesitating even the slightest to aim it at the tutor's face.

Sato flinched as a small cut formed on his face, eyes growing wide when he noticed the offending object, embedded in the wall. The pair of scissors had just grazed him.

Seijuro growled lowly under his breath, instilling fear into the cowardly male.

"Who are we?" A soft, bell-like voice laughed. A chilling laugh that sent shivers down the back of the man who had threatened them. The smile was knocked off his face to reveal the frighteningly deep frown that spoke a thousand words of disapproval, luminous amber eyes glowing ominously in the shadows.

Sato flinched. Seijuro stared. Once again, he was surprised by his unpredictable friend.

"Who are we? That's not right, is it? No, it should be 'Who are _you_?'" Then he smiled, a sudden serene twinkle in the lurking darkness despite the blazing eyes he had. "You come knocking on the doors of innocent children, and you take their minds and twist it into an unrecognizable form. You justify it – 'Everything is acceptable as long as it is for my own gain, as long as I get promoted and my reputation rises' – was that it?"

"What…" Shunichi Sato was speechless, his mouth falling open in a gawp as he gaped at the child. That…That was the first time he heard his own thoughts falling from someone else's mouth. Haruka was right on target.

"You can play protagonist all you want, Sato." He dropped all formalities. "Pretend all you like, but that doesn't change a single thing about you: _You are a monster._"

Eyes widened and Sato froze at the realization, the words striking him hard.

Haruka released his grip with a gentle movement before the unexpected cruelty was gone in one strike, replaced by a soft, almost endearing smile as he strolled forward, joined by Seijuro as they reached the door.

"You no longer need to come here after today, Sato. The maids shall see you out of the house."

And they left, hand in hand, with a cold thud of the door.

-x-

"…Seijuro." Orange curls bounced as he turned to look at up at the scarlet figure worriedly, his previously ominous amber eyes now wide and glazed over with insecurity.

There were no words needed to convey his question. Seijuro merely gazed down at him for a short period of time, before a light squeeze and a comforting thumb trailing circles on the back of his hand caught his attention.

"…I know. I get what you meant." The red haired child replied solemnly. "Winning is not everything. That tutor was wrong."

Immediately after hearing his words, a long sigh of relief escaped the smaller, frailer child. Even without eyes, he could still sense the confusion radiating off Seijuro at his odd behavior.

"It's nothing." Haruka smiled brighter, feeling the load now lifted off his heart as he skipped cheerfully, swinging Sei's hand back and forth. "As long as you know that winning is not everything, I'm happy."

"Still, that was…surprising." Seijuro murmured thoughtfully.

"Sou…na no?" Haruka chuckled. His voice darkened briefly. "I think he had it coming for him though. Using propaganda on children, in order to raise his status…Do you sympathize with that kind of person?"

"No, not that." At the curious look, Seijuro explained.

"I have never seen you angry before."

"Oh?" Amber eyes lifted in amusement at his red haired friend. "That's because up until now, there has been nothing in particular that angered me. I have Sei, a happy family, and everyday has been interesting up until now. So of course, you wouldn't have seen me being angry." He rolled his eyes, smiling widely.

"You're satisfied…with the way things are currently?" Seijuro's voice wavered unnaturally, insecurity permeating through the words as he faltered.

"That's right." Haruka chuckled cheerily, nuzzling his face in Seijuro's shoulder (causing the red child to hide a small smile) as he refuted the question, "Are you happy now, Sei?"

Red eyes blinked, not having expected that question. The scarlet child momentarily thought about the question, before he patted his smaller friend gently on the crown of his head, imitating Haruka's usual head ruffles.

"I am, oddly enough." He concluded.

"Really?" Haruka laughed.

"Hai."

They walked in peaceful silence, before Seijuro finally posted his last question. "What do we do with the tape now?"

"…Keep it as a momento?" suggested the bubbly orange headed boy, chortling in amusement when his friend sent a deadpanned expression down his way.

"You mean to say that you did not record this for the sake of firing the tutor." Seijuro rephrased.

"Hai."

"You did it for blackmail." He added. "But you forgot about it."

"Haha…Hai!"

"You originally intended to get him to treat us to a bunch of junk food at every session, and to pig out on most of his salary."

"Sou, sou…The salary part is correct…And the junk food idea does sound nice."

"…You are an idiot."

"Hai-...Hey! I take offense in that!"

-x-


	2. Chapter 2

ReBirth Chapter 2

-x-

**Year 1 Month 12**

He could hear it all: the soft breath of the reader as he tried to withhold his astonishment, the defeated raspy gasps of his opponent, the blatant gawps of the reporters, the snaps of jaws clenching shut, and the sharp orders handed out in harsh, silent whispers, and also, Seijuro's silent pat of encouragement.

Everything was the same as before. The only difference from his former life was the presence of focused, scarlet eyes.

One card left before it ends. One more victory left, before he attains his miracle.

With a soft exhale, he leaned forward, placing his center of gravity on his dominant hand and opened his senses. His hearing sharpened as they used to, and he could barely hold back a soft smile when he tasted the atmosphere – which was similar to that of a basketball match.

Yes. Basketball.

This was all for his beloved basketball.

He has to sharpen his hearing and accuracy, if only to be able to save the Generation of Miracles when the time comes for it. Afterall, what was his reason for being sent to this world, if it is not to save them…?

Haruka heard the poem coming before it even came.

"Y–"

His left hand flew forward, middle finger pushing the card with a deceptive ease and an astonishing accuracy. What were hidden behind that smooth motion were, of course, a month of hard work and all his arm strength.

The card flew by, embedding itself in the very ground beside Seijuro.

"Yo no naka wa…"

Haruka chuckled at the lifted brow the scarlet child sent down his way and dipped his head apologetically, smiling sheepishly as he murmured a soft "Gomenasai."

The redhead sighed, long and weary, before he made a sharp gesture that asked for Haruka to end it off quickly.

"Hai." The Orange child mouthed back, smiling fondly when Seijuro shot him a quick smirk before rising to leave the room.

Turning to his quivering opponent, he did a deep bow from the waist, going into the usual dogeza that was required of all Karuta players at the end of a match, with a soft utter of "Arigato gozaimasu."

Then, swiveling his small frame to the surprised reader, he quickly repeated the same eloquent motion before standing and taking off after Seijuro.

The final score, as it turns out, was 0 to 32.

A score that should be impossible, even if the opponent was merely a middle school student who had just managed to snatch the position of 'Master' from the best Karuta player in the country by accident.

And what's more, was that it was a two year old who managed to pressure the teen into making numerous mistakes in the game and defeated the master after starting Karuta for barely a month.

That day, the Karuta World was left stunned by the new gust of winter wind that was Sorenji Haruka.

-x-

Silence permeated the hallway just after they stepped out of the room.

Haruka felt his lips lift up in a lopsided smile when his redheaded friend turned to glance at him appraisingly, even though comprehension underlined his gaze.

"I still do not get it. Why have you chosen Karuta, of all the games that are open to you?" Seijuro asked, puzzled.

Haruka tossed his head back and laughed.

In his past life, Karuta had been the last sport which he had been playing just before he was blinded by the accident. It had just been a method of curing his boredom, really, so he didn't really mind having to give up the sport after that. But nevertheless, it was Karuta that had provided him with the strength and flexibility of his fingers later on, and became the very essence of his basketball.

Right now, he was retraining himself so he would be able to play basketball sooner…But it's not like he would tell his cousin that.

To think that he was playing it again though…

"Let's just say that Karuta is something which will become essential in the future." Haruka smiled mischievously to himself.

Seijuro only shot him a mildly confused look before shaking his head.

"You think?"

"I _know._"

"I do not think I could ever understand you, Haruka." Seijuro grumbled to himself.

The orange child snickered, skipping forward to slip his smaller hand into Seijuro's warm one. To his delight, the scarlet child squeezed his hand back lightly, though not a single expression befell on Seijuro's well refined features other than a light tint in his cheeks.

Haruka beamed, laughing slightly as he leaned his head in to Seijuro's shoulders as he was used to doing.

"Well, I don't understand you either, Sei. Why Shogi, of all possible board games?" He furrowed his brows adorably in a fake thoughtful look before chuckling. "Is my Sei turning into an old man?"

"You wish." The scarlet child snorted.

"Well, you talk like one. And you act like one. Being all formal like that." Haruka smirked as he poked his finger into Akashi's cheek.

"I do not."

"You do."

"I do not."

"You do."

"I do not."

"You do."

"…Fine, I 'don't', Haru, is that acceptable for you?" Seijuro heaved a sigh.

"Heh heh, you still haven't admitted that you do." Haruka snickered when his scarlet friend facepalmed, a brow twitching vigorously in annoyance.

"We are only two, Haru, there is no way that I would act like an old man…" Seijuro froze.

The orange child blinked at the sudden tension in his shoulder, leaning forward to peer at his Sei, concerned over the lack of emotion in his face.

"Sei…?" Haruka murmured softly, suddenly reminded of the old Seijuro in the anime.

"Haru." The mentioned child snapped suddenly.

"Hai?"

"What is the date today?" Seijuro questioned, donning a rare expression that spoke volumes about his stress to Haruka, and none to others.

That was more than enough to cause the Sorenji to be alarmed, though. It was only rarely since he was dropped into this world that he managed to see such an expression on his Seijuro. It could be due to his interference or because of the timeline, but his Sei seemed reasonably less stressed than the other Seijuro on the usual occasion. Still, though…

He was worried about Seijuro's attitude towards the stress, despite his usual demeanor. Since entering this world, he had came to realize that Seijuro was one of those types that would soundlessly endure the increasing stress which others chucked on them until they eventually break apart, usually in the form of short periods of insanity or in tears. So, reluctant was he to place more stress on Seijuro's load.

"Urm…December 19th?" Haruka finally replied hesitantly, afraid that it would cause more stress to his friend.

"I see." The redhead's face blanked.

…

Stressed.

He's definitely stressed!

And quite frankly, he's scared~!

Haruka moved to get away from the Akashi, only to have anime tears streaming down his face when he realized Seijuro had tightened his grasp in the midst of being lost in his thoughts.

"Sei…juro?" Haruka forced a smile, shivering at the vicious aura overflowing from the boy. WHY? "You look constipated. Is today some kind of special day?"

"You don't remember?" Scarlet orbs darted to his face, taken aback.

He thought hard. Nope. Nadda. Ie. Arimasen. Nothing comes into mind.

"I…don't." Haruka concluded finally, quivering at the deathly intent stare of the other boy. He tried to alleviate the atmosphere. "What is it, Sei? To elicit such a reaction from an emotionless robot like you."

"You don't remember." Ah, his teasing was blatantly ignored.

"Eto…Hai…?"

"…"

"…Se…i?"

"…"

"You're scaring me."

Seconds ticked away as Seijuro observed his reactions sharply, absorbing every single bit of reaction with a keen eye. Amber eyes were starting to tear up at the intimidating, signature searching gaze of the Akashi, before a mild, gentle exhale caught his attention.

"Gomen, I just remembered that I have something to do."

The warm grasp around his hand loosened, and Haruka blinked with large, confused eyes when Seijuro turned around, darting his head around as though in search of anyone in this large, Karuta compound.

Nobody. Good.

And Haruka was dumbfounded when heat suddenly engulfed him, as Akashi Seijuro leaned down over his smaller cousin and embraced him tightly, as though he was greeting a long-lost brother who he has not seen in a few millenniums.

"Gomenasai, Haruka," A warm whisper brushed across his ears. Pink dusted across his cheeks. "I would like you to avoid the Akashi manor for the time being, at least, until I come to get you tomorrow."

Haruka blinked twice.

Before he knew it, Seijuro had retracted his arms and turned away from him, walking briskly back to the sleek black limo they had came in.

He was left standing at the door of the compound, astounded by Seijuro's actions.

Then when the implications of his embrace hit him, Haruka flushed and shook his head quickly, getting rid of the scandalous thoughts that were left implanted in his mind.

The orange child laughed nervously as he looked away from the leaving limo.

"Don't be stupid, Kazune. He's just a two year old. That must have just been a two year old's way of showing affection to family…" He then faltered, pink dusting his cheeks. "…Or so it is…right?"

-x-

**Akashi Seijuro**

In the limo, Seijuro hid his light blush covered behind a hand, replaying his cousin's wide-eyed expression when he was staring intently at him.

So adorable…Those large amber eyes glazed over and on the brink of tears pulled out a sudden urge to squeeze his cousin tightly in his arms and hide him away from the world, sheltering him from all potential threats. He had given in to the temptation without a second thought, embracing him so tightly that he almost feared that Haruka would suffocate for a moment there.

But just…what was that emotion?

"Akashi-sama, may I ask where are you would like to go?" The chauffeurs' question snapped him out of his trance.

"Ah, yes," The redhead regained his composure, smiling politely at the elderly man. "I would like to head back to the Akashi manor at once now, please."

"But…" The chauffeur shifted uneasily. "Ryuusuke-sama and Miyato-sama have ordered me this morning to avoid returning to the Akashi manor."

"If you are referring to the birthday party which they are organizing, I am already more than aware about that." Seijuro said smugly._ And it was all thanks to my Haruka, of course._

'Damn, I'm caught' flashed across the face of the poor cornered chauffeur, making it all the more satisfying. Seijuro smiled pleasantly when he saw the elderly's conflicted expression, before adding.

"If anything else, I will bet that those two are making a mess of all preparations made by the servants. So if you do not wish for any more destruction to be caused to the manor, it would be best for you to bring me back home."

Another moment of inner conflict, before the man sighed.

Seijuro smirked.

-x-

Before he even realized it, his legs were already taking him to a familiar place which he has passed by numerous times along the road to the Akashi's.

Haruka gazed wistfully at the game before him as a group of teenagers, probably still in middle school, played a fair game of three on three.

He sure wanted to play…

But when will his skills finally be balanced?

Just right after the Demon Tutor incident, he had started to train his still-fragile body, veraciously whipping it back to its old shape. Five timed rounds around Kyoto each day whilst heading to and returning from the Akashi manor. At least ten games of Karuta per day, with the special metal cards he had secretly ordered the Sorenji company to make, that weighed at least one kilogram each. In addition, he had also begun wearing weights around his legs in an attempt to quicken his speed.

But even with this special regime he had set for himself, were his skills back to their old standards? Could he play and say he would win for certain?

Furthermore, before, he had the eagle's eye, even though it worked only on soccer at first. This had translated into hyper awareness of his surroundings after the Accident, and was invested into part of his basketball style later on as well.

Even though he hadn't checked yet…Was his eagle eye still present even in this life? Would his basketball suffer as a result?

Haruka frowned deeper with each pessimistic thought that he pondered, burrowing his face further into his hands.

_Thu-Thud._

Large amber eyes blinked in curiosity when the sounds of a ball captured his attention, and he looked up to stare at the round object rolling towards him.

"O-I! Could you help us get that?!" One of the teens was waving at him, several others shooting him apologetic grins.

Haruka tilted his orange head unsurely and lowered himself from the tall stone bench, gingerly grasping the basketball with his hands. For a moment, he thought about throwing it, but instead chose to approach the team with the ball in hand, gazing up at their tall figures that were panting in the evening colors of the sun.

"Oh? Nani? You want to play as well?" A teen with short, yet _white_ hair and red eyes grinned cheerily down at him.

An albino, Haruka thought.

"Ren!" The orange child flinched when someone snapped.

Turning to gaze at the foreign stranger, he found a raven haired teen with azure blue eyes, glaring heatedly at his friend. For a moment, Haruka thought that the teen simply didn't want a child around, until the teen promptly declared.

"That's the wrong use of grammar! It should be: 'Would you like to join us for a game?'!"

…That's it?

"Ah~ Who the hell cares about some stupid grammar when we are out here?" 'Ren' grumbled, rubbing his head. "You're too fussy about the small details, Jun."

"I'm simply being polite, that's all. And no swearing around kids!" 'Jun' retorted.

"Ano…" Haruka interrupted, shrinking slightly when the stares turned on him. He lifted the ball to them. "This…"

"Ah, that. I almost forgot about that." Ren grinned. "Anyway, kid, you still haven't answered my question. Would you like to join us for a game?"

Haruka blinked at the offer once again, hearing Jun's muttered comment of 'So _now_ he uses it.'

Frankly, to be honest, he was slightly scared of losing in basketball. After so many months of being in a new and foreign body, he was afraid that he had lost most of the formal control he had over his body language and reaction timing, causing him to lose in a match. Losing was something he was unused to, despite having told Seijuro that one time that losing is acceptable. In his old life, he had always put his hundred percent effort into all he does, and never once had he lost.

So what if he lost, even after he worked so hard? Will it mean that his efforts were for naught?

"_As long as you know that winning is not everything, I'm happy."_

Haruka took a deep breath, recalling the words he had said to Seijuro, and regained control over his train of thought.

He was only beginning, and no one expects him to be perfect, so losing was acceptable. If he lost even after working so hard, it would simply mean that his hundred percent is not enough, and he would only have to exert more effort.

More importantly, he couldn't betray the words he said to Seijuro, or he would live in shame forever as a hypocrite.

Haruka looked up at the group of teenagers, beaming at them with a large, warm smile which had them blinking in shock at his sudden change of demeanor.

"Ja…If you don't mind me joining…Please take care of me for this game."

-x-

**Aomine Daiki**

Another day went by, another day filled with Satsuki's endless whimpers and sobs whilst he faced off his father in a hopeless match of basketball. Honestly, he couldn't even see a point to the game anymore.

To the Aomine Daiki of then, basketball was a hobby, nothing more than a simple game to occupy his time, nothing more than a game which he played by his father's request. Something which he couldn't and will never find passion in.

And Satsuki was wailing loudly again.

"Will you be quiet?!" He snapped, fed up with the crybaby's constant sniffles.

"Daiki," The one word said in a terse tone was more than enough to piss him off. The older Aomine leveled his gaze. "Treat women nicely."

"Tch!" Daiki hastened his speed.

Again and again…It was always Satsuki this, and Satsuki that. It has always been more than obvious that he liked Satsuki more than his own son. He would always give the ice cream first to Satsuki, give her the lollipop instead of him…And even though he was the one with talent in basketball!

…Then again, his father has always been sharp. Maybe he saw through Daiki's intentions in playing basketball and disapproved of it…

Daiki sulked.

"Daiki, you're making a wrong turn," His father pointed out.

He flushed beet red.

"I know-"

_**BEEEEEEEEEEP!**_

Orange flashed passed.

Time silenced as it was jarringly halted.

Daiki's blue eyes widened as he turned, to see that petite child who he couldn't believe was his own age throwing his head back joyously in radiant laughter as he dribbled a large ball that his tiny hand which paled in comparison to.

Orange locks brushed against a porcelain face and doll-like features. Amber orbs twinkled mischievously in the evening sun just before the clock ticked the next second and he flashed passed.

Blue-black eyes stared, breathless after being blown away by the sheer joy which the boy played with.

Daiki rushed forward, pressing his face up against the dreadful net which was separating him from the court, as he watched that child play veraciously with so much enthusiasm that it shamed him, for ever having thought of basketball as a hobby to please his father.

"Dai-chan?" Satsuki sniffled, joining him.

"Daiki?" Aomine was startled by the sudden change in his son's demeanor and turned to follow the line of his gaze.

So it was a bunch of players. No big deal.

And yet, Daiki was watching them so intently, so there must be something.

Blue-black eyes widened when he saw what caught his son's attention.

A boy.

There, on the field, was a tiny child his son's age, slipping past the towering figures with astonishing ease and impossible grace, easily avoiding the defense and striking the ball with an unnatural accuracy. He was not the least fazed by the age of his opponents and had a cheery look on his doll-like face despite his foes' ominous glares.

And wait – Was that boy playing with his eyes closed?!

-x-

_**BEEEEEEEEEEP!**_

The whistle blew, ringing through his sensitive ears that twitched at the sound. He surged forward at once, ignoring the players who began leaping through the air.

Three-on-three, this was decided after some discussion, with the player which he had replaced being the referee. Haruka found himself grouped together with Jun and Ren, whom he noted seemed fairly confident of themselves.

But both his teammates were shorter than the giant that was competing for the ball.

This ball will definitely go to the other team.

And just as he predicted, the giant easily knocked the ball away to his hunky teammate.

Haruka immediately rushed forward, tipping the ball out of Hunky's sweaty palms and up into the air with a simple strong strike of his pointer finger from below. A steal which succeeded, much to his relief.

Gasps resounded through the vicinity.

"Nani-"

Ducking under Hunky's arms using his short height to his advantage, he caught the ball in his tiny hands and turned, automatically processing and arranging a simple mental layout of the players on the field as he dribbled with one hand behind his back.

He was closest to their goal (the one which they had to protect), with his front opened to Hunky. Giant seems to be marking Jun, who had been competing for the ball, and his last teammate, their leader, appears to be marking Ren.

Hmph…Seems like he worried for nothing. His eagle eye had even evolved into hawks eye with his hearing sense taking one step up. The only possible problem he would have to face would be his height.

Haruka inhaled and swung his body towards the left. Hunky feinted left in a block, and Haruka smirked triumphantly as he tilted his body back.

A fake.

Hunky, hindered by his inertia, could barely react in time. The poor boy had not expected that.

Turning and keeping his back to Hunky, Haruka quickly made a circular turn around the boy, keeping the ball in front of him and out of reach all the while, before rushing away from Hunky to the side of the court.

One disadvantage of having too few players in street basketball would be that they could not cover the entire field. However, the moment the ball starts rolling, all eyes would feast themselves on the ball and the players would come lunging after it. But this means that the moment you get away from the crowd, you have the perfect chance of launching a three pointer.

And Haruka planned to take full advantage of this little fact.

A smug smirk made its way to his boyish face and a laugh resounded as he raced to the three pointer line, passing by the defenses who had only just realized his plan.

They raced after him.

Too late.

Haruka lifted the ball and easily launched it with his strong, short fingers, smoothly shooting the ball into the basket.

"0-3!" The referee shouted out.

Haruka smiled joyously and allowed a barked laugh to escape, relishing in the old moment where he would launch a ball into the basket, and everyone would stare at him in awe because of his blindness. Well, it was his age this time round.

Ren approached him, slapping his back and almost knocking him down.

"Great job! I didn't know two year olds could do that! And how did you do that with your fingers?!" He wiggled his fingers for emphasis.

"Secret." Not really. Haruka chuckled when a glum aura loomed over Ren's head, a pout befalling on his face. "But if you guys are willing to play with me the next time I visit, I may tell you my secret."

"AGREED!" Sunshine sprouted from the albino's head.

How adorable. Haruka chuckled fondly at the teen.

The next ball was easier than before, now that he had gotten used to this new height. His photographic memory also helped him with adjusting, and whenever his opponents were not looking, he would mildly closed his eyes for a second or two for the old comfort of blindness.

"Oops." He said innocently as he allowed a pass from Jun to slip into Hunky's hands, getting some shut-eye for one millisecond.

"Got it!" It was almost pitiful how there was some degree of joy in Hunky's voice.

The teen warily turned his back to him, afraid that he would do another steal from him.

He guessed right.

Haruka chortled at his weak attempt to defend his ball, and slipped shut his eyes as he rushed forward, throwing his centre of gravity back at the very last moment so that he was sliding across the floor and towards Hunky's opened leg stance.

One more moment…One more…He was through…Now!

He punched his palm vertically up, flicking his wrist forward so his middle three fingers met with the ball, throwing it further up into the air. He safely slid through Hunky's legs, leaving all eyes on the ball.

But that was not all.

He had placed all his strength in that thrust.

The ball soared through the air for several seconds, which had the watching audience bate their breaths in anticipation, before it sped down all-too-readily into the basket.

A shot that was almost like Midorima's, much to his delight.

_FLOMP!_

"Z-Zero-Six!"

A light curve of satisfaction found its way to Haruka's lips as he sat on the ground, tilting his head at the shocked, unbelieving stares that were aimed at him, even from his own teammates.

"…What? I calculated that." He shifted uncomfortably.

"That was just surprising…" And unexpectedly, it was Jun who said that this time. The raven haired teen smiled. "You are just full of surprises, are you not, child?"

"Well," Haruka laughed. "If you're surprised just by that, be prepared to be stunned when you see my other moves!"

And stunned they were, when he revealed what was merely a fraction of the cards he had up his sleeve.

Every time the ball came near Hunky, or any foe standing near him, he would easily intercept it with a mere flick of the hand, pushing it quickly towards the goal.

The game continued as his first two shots did, leaving the enemy helpless before his play. Either Giant or the Leader would get the ball and pass it to one of the other two. The moment the ball came within the two meter radius of him, he would intercept it or steal it from his opponent, at the same time either passing it to Jun or Ren or launching it into the basket. The opposing team reeled endlessly from the emotional wounds which he whipped on them.

It was barely a challenge, but Haruka was happy to say the least, that he was finally able to play his beloved basketball.

Then came the last three minutes.

Haruka blinked, amber eyes widening in astonishment.

"W-What?" Jun and Ren were wide-eyed as they stared down his way.

They had switched their mark. Giant was now marking him.

Haruka blinked up at the towering figure, for a moment reminded of how Kuroko had probably felt in face of Murasakibara, just that feeling was amplified thrice. Giant was intimidating _and _large. He would probably be the worst faceoff for Haruka, in fact. But…

A warm smile spread across his face as he gave a small bow to the giant, surprising the teen enough to mellow out his steely gaze.

"So you've finally made a comeback from the shock," Haruka laughed, startling the rest of the players. "Can I expect the game to be more challenging this time round?"

Giant blinked, as if taken aback by his question, before a small curve formed on his lips.

"Hai." Not much of a speaker now was he, this guy…

The game continued.

Leader received the ball, before passing it over to Hunky. Hunky dribbled the ball, almost losing it in face of Ren, who had faced him head on. He quickly made a pass to Giant, whom Haruka didn't even bother to block due to the great difference in height.

Giant shot the ball.

_Flomp!_

"Twelve to thirty-six!"

And considering that it was a twenty minutes game, Haruka was slightly ashamed of himself for not having made more shots due to his underestimating his opponents…

"Jun!" Ren had rushed forward in the midst of his daydreaming, catching and throwing the ball to his friend.

The raven haired teen scowled when Hunky stole the ball and passed it to Giant again, making it another three points for them.

Ren caught the ball again, tossing it to Jun.

Haruka furrowed his brows in mild frustration, a soft sound of frustration escaping the back of his throat when he attempted to move forward and make himself open for the ball, only to be pushed back by Giant's tall gigantic frame.

If this goes on, it would be no different from playing a two to three!

Another ball fell in.

The opposing team cheered, and even Giant smiled slightly as they walked back to their position, leaving a mildly irked Haruka behind, staring at the basket pensively.

What are the disadvantages to being tall, besides being heavy? Even though big people are usually slower due to their larger body mass, Giant was slightly faster than the average, cancelling out that option.

Wait…Speed!

"Don't stress yourself too much," Ren grinned at him through his pants and sweat, patting him on his shoulder lightly.

Haruka blinked up at the albino, before smiling lightly and shaking his head.

"That's not what I was thinking, Ren-kun."

"Eh? It's not?" A dumbfounded expression crossed the other's face.

"Mah~ It's more of somewhere along the lines of 'Should I remove my limiter or not?'" Haruka smirked smugly as he crossed the side of the field, bending down to lift up his baggy long pants.

The group of teenagers gawped at him when his special weights were revealed, tied up neatly with a black cloth. Smiling cheerily to himself, he gingerly removed them from his leg and allowed his pants to fall back to his ankles.

"Na–You–All this time, you–" Jun spluttered, whereas Giant was gaping at him with the expression of a goldfish.

"If you don't close your jaws, you'll catch a fly soon." Haruka chuckled.

Their mouths snapped close with a shut.

"Well," The orange child leaned forward veraciously, smiling politely despite the raw glint that shimmered and blazed in his eyes. "Shall we start the real game now, without any limiters?"

"H-HAAAAAI!" They shouted out, suddenly intimidated by his scary visage.

"Eighteen to T-Thirty-six!" The referee repeated once more, if only to remind them of the score difference.

Ren went and get the ball again, before launching it to Jun. The raven haired male immediately turned to a separate direction, where there should be nobody standing…

Eh?

Giant's breath hitched in his throat when he discovered that he had lost the kid whom he thought he had been blocking. Eyes turned frantically to where Jun was tossing the ball, to find the orange haired child standing just below the goal.

"When did you get there?!" One of his opponents, he wasn't sure who, shouted, his yell mangled with both awe and horror at the same time.

Haruka laughed as he gratefully received the pass, tilting the direction of the ball towards the goal with a flick of the pointer finger.

"Well, you see, other than my speed, one disadvantage of being tall is that you can't see those who are below your line of sight. Meaning~ My height is what beat Giant's height." He gave a pointed look to Giant, meaning for it as a tip for him to improve.

"Sugoi yo! (That's amazing!) I haven't even realized that!" Ren cheered, stars glittering in his eyes.

"That is because you never stop to think in a match." Jun deadpanned, slapping the back of his head. "Anyway, since the kid has shown us his true talent, we can't afford to disappoint him now, could we?"

Haruka was surprised when a feral grin was shot down his way.

"Right!"

The game became more heated from there on.

With Haruka being marked down by Giant again, Ren replaced him as the stealer of the ball, knocking the ball out of Leader's hands with a ferocious slap of his palm and sending it down Haruka's way. It hit the floor, before bouncing up towards him.

Haruka was taken aback by Ren's intelligent usage of his previous proclamation of 'shorter height beats taller heights' and grinned, sending a similar pass to Jun with the ball hitting the ground below Giant's reach.

Jun caught it, and it went flying into the basket.

"Eighteen-Thirty-eight!"

"Eh?" The raven haired male blinked.

"You're standing over the three point line." Haruka pointed out innocently.

"SHI-!" Jun begun cursing his own carelessness, leaving his two teammates laughing at him.

The rest of the match was an even game between the two teams. With his overwhelming speed against Giant's large frame, it was like a balanced see-saw, tipping both sides occasionally. Haruka found himself stunned by the other team's attitude towards basketball, despite the fact that the score difference never really reduced.

Last thirty seconds.

It was twenty-four against forty-four, but even so, the other team dished it out as if it was the one point that would make a difference in a game.

But still, Haruka wasn't generous enough to give them that one point.

They were now on the enemy's side of the field, with Hunky and their Leader defending veraciously whereas Giant stood guard before the goal, his large frame radiating the aura of a lion. None of their shots were going to go in.

And just as he foretold, Jun released a startled gasp when his shot was knocked down by Giant, with a hard painful slap that left the ball vibrating in his large hand.

Giant raised his long arms before the ball went soaring through the air.

Amber eyes narrowed viciously.

It was going to go in.

_FLOMP!_

Jun and Ren were startled when he brushed passed them, a small palm tugging the albino along with him.

"The game hasn't ended yet," Haruka whispered softly.

And he raced forward, exerting more force onto his short legs until he was a mere flash in the light. Ren was taken aback by his speed, panting heavily as the disappearing orange left him behind.

_Just how damn fast is that kid?!_

Stepping over the line just as the ball fell gracefully into his grasp, he turned, soft orange locks brushing against pale skin as amber eyes glittered solemnly in the evening sun. Lifting his stumpy hands in a shooting position, an exhilarated smile flashed across his lips.

"W-Wha…" Jun gasped.

"He's not going to shoot from there, is he?!" Hunky screamed.

"Come to think of it…He has been shooting from all various positions on the court since the game started…as if there was no limitations placed on him." Their leader's observation led to wide eyed stares and hitched breaths.

Giant's eyes narrowed as he quickly took his position before the goal. _I won't let you!_

And outside the court, two watching children found their breaths caught in their throats as the orange child lifted his delicate hands up in a perfect and beautiful form for shooting.

For a moment, silence permeated through the vicinity, before an orange ball flew from soft hands, propelled forward by strong fingers that bent forward with grace.

Eyes bulged, and jaws dropped open as all eyes turned to the child who was shooting from the other end of the court.

The ball went soaring through the air, flying higher and…_higher_, as if it was being tugged along by an invisible wire string in mid-air.

One…

Two…

Three…

Even after a grand total of five seconds, it was still suspended in mid-air, floating higher into the midst of the clouds, not looking as if it was going to fall any time soon.

_You've got to be kidding me, right?_ Beads of cold sweat formed on Ren's forehead as he swiveled around to look at the orange child who was already looking away from the ball. _A toddler just did that…A TODDLER…and that move is…_ "A Tear Drop!"

Then, after what seem like millenniums, the ball finally stopped and turned directions.

Giant prepared himself to defend his goal.

The switch was instant in their eyes. All of them could see the sudden change in speed, the acceleration spiking off the charts in an insane rate that might even beat the speed of a leopard.

The watching people gawped when the ball suddenly _accelerated_, falling down with a velocity increasing so fast that a knot formed in their dry throats.

Like an orange shooting star, it crashed down towards the basket, just as the gigantic teen leapt, attempting to block the 'star' with his large calloused hand.

"Mitobe! NO!" Jun exclaimed.

"Wha-" Haruka blinked, turning to look back in astonishment.

'Mitobe', or otherwise, Giant, winced when he felt the insane speed which the ball is rolling in his hands – searing off some part of his skin – and quickly removed his hand. _How much strength had that child placed in this shot?!_ He glanced back at the orange child.

_FLOMP!_

The basketball fallen in perfectly, in an almost ninety-degrees angle.

The whistle then sounded.

-x-

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE GAME!"

After the formality, Haruka rushed forward to 'Mitobe', the stoic but gentle giant who had been conversing with Ren about the miraculous shot he had made, and quickly snatched up his hands, staring at the burns worriedly.

"Oh my god…" He furrowed his brows, amber eyes tearing up slightly as he imagined the searing pain he must have felt. "Does it hurt? Is this serious? You shouldn't have done that, you know? Blocking one of my shots when I use all my fingers is one of the most foolish things you could have done! Where else are you hurt? Show them all to me. We must bring you to the hospital at once!"

They watched him in amusement as he tried to drag Mitobe along and only succeeded in walking on the spot.

"He sure is adorable, isn't he?" Jun's appearance took them by surprise, startling the players.

"When did you get here!? Don't scare us!" Ren exclaimed.

"E-Eto…Arigato for your compliment?" Haruka said unsurely. Not even Seijuro had ever said that to him…(even though he did it in his own heart) "But more importantly, Mitobe-san's injuries-!"

A large hand ruffled his hair.

"It's just a burn. You don't have to worry." The giant murmured gently.

"B-But…I caused that injury." Haruka said in a small voice.

"But he's the one who decided to block it, so it's partly his fault as well!" Ren grinned.

"And call him Takashi, he's not used to being called his family name, especially by children. His nephews like to call him 'Taka-nii', you see?" Jun did a small smug smile as he glanced at the shifting giant.

"J-Ja…Taka…-nii?" Haruka tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Yeah." The giant nodded.

"Are you okay?"

"Hai." Once again, he nodded.

"Then…I'm relieved." A gentle smile made its way to his face, as he broke out in sudden soft laughter, hopping around the field in an unexpectedly adorable motion that caused the teenagers to blush.

"We won, we won!" He repeated, laughing as he cheered joyously.

Ren gave a feral grin.

"Kid, that last move you made on the court…Have you named it yet?" He asked.

"Named…? Never thought of it." Haruka admitted with a roll of the shoulders.

"Then…How about 'Shooting Star'?"

Haruka, Takashi and Jun blinked, staring at him dumbly for a moment before guffawing.

"Haha…That's so sappy!"

"You're a closet romantic, aren't you, Ren?"

"…Pft…"

"URUSAI! (Shut up!)" Ren shouted at them, flushing beet red.

"Pft… 'Shooting star', that's taking it literally, right?" Haruka snickered behind his hands.

"I…I decided to give it a name out of good will. If you don't want it, then you don't have to accept it." Ren grumbled out.

"No, it's fitting." Haruka smiled widely at him. "Then, I guess I will name it 'Shooting star'. But only because you seem so pitiful."

"You're so kind, kid."

"Ah."

"Bastards."

-x-

**Aomine Daiki**

They had been speechless ever since the start of the match, but just now, that shot was…

"Sugoi…" Satsuki breathed, for once in her life, not stuttering or sobbing. ("Amazing…")

Her pink eyes were wide with amazement, her breath caught by the stunt which the boy did. Even though she had neutral feelings for and zero knowledge about basketball, even she could tell that what the boy just did was beyond the capability of an adult. And the way he played was so beautiful…so entrancing…

"Yeah. He is." Daiki admitted, his large eyes glowing with awe at the orange child.

After the formality, the sunset painted figure was laughing happily, whereas the other players were looking on fondly as he hopped around the field.

His father glanced down at his son with a surprised look and smiled knowingly as he looked back to the tiny child who had just did that. Mentally, he sent a word of thanks to the boy, respect blooming even in _his_ heart.

"I wonder how much he practiced to get that good." Aomine whispered. Daiki looked up at him.

"With his petite frame and frail figure, it must have been tedious for him to train until his arms have that much strength. And even though he is light, his legs are short, making it hard for him to be fast. Furthermore, the times when he played with his eyes closed…showed how often he must have played the game, in order to memorize every nook and corner of the field." The man explained, leaving both children stunned.

The kids swiveled back to the game, admiring the sunny child for the last time with adoring eyes.

The orange child then turned and smiled warmly at the player standing nearest them, laughing despite the thick coat of sweat that coated him, so it seemed almost as if he was beckoning them to join him in the game.

"Dai-kun." Momo whispered. "That boy is amazing."

"Yeah."

"One day, I want to be stand on the same field as him, even if it was only as a manager."

"Yeah. I feel the same." Daiki murmured.

_But not yet. I'm not good enough yet._

Daiki silently thought as his eyes traced the boy's figure.

_I have to be stronger, before I could stand on the same field as him._

"Daiki, let's go." Aomine nudged his son with a smirk, seeing as if they seem to have found their motivation for basketball.

"Sure."

-x-

"Kid…What's your name?" Ren asked as he packed his things.

"Sorenji Haruka." The orange child blinked, tilting his head when he realized that he had played with them before he introduced himself. "Isn't this in a wrong order?"

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

"Hmn…Haruka, give me your phone."

"Hai." He didn't bother asking them why they think a child would have a phone, and obediently handed over the hot pink cell phone, which was the closest color he could get to Seijuro's scarlet.

"Jun." The phone was tossed to the raven haired teen, who quickly typed in something before it got passed to Takashi and back to him.

Haruka blinked at the new numbers that were in his phone now, tilting his head at Ren.

"This is…?" He asked hesitantly.

The albino grinned down at him and ruffled his mess of orange locks fondly, giving it a last pat before he followed his leaving teammates.

"Our numbers. If you would ever like a good game, or need our help, just ring us up and we'll head over to wherever you are immediately."

"Really?"

"Really." Jun answered for him.

"Of course, if you like, you could always come down to our middle school to find us for a game." Ren added as the duo followed after their team.

"And your school is?" Haruka called after his disappearing back.

"Teiko Middle School. You can find us in the first string if you ever go there. Ja na, Haruka! (Bye!)" Ren gave a swift wave before they hurried away.

Teiko Middle School…Being…

"EEEEEHH?" Amber eyes went wide as he took a step back, staring searchingly at the exit.

_That_ was the old Teiko Middle School team without the Generation of Miracles?!

But they are…

They are…

They are so weak!

Sure, Takashi seems to be of the uncrowned generals' standard, and their overall teamwork is good, but…

If this was the old standard of being 'strong', then he couldn't believe how weak the rest of the middle school teams are right now. Maybe this is why Kagami had lost faith in the basketball of Japan whilst in America. Maybe _this_ was what he saw.

Or maybe, just maybe…His body had adapted completely to his special training, leaving him at the standard of the Generation of Miracles.

Nonono…

Haruka shook his head. He mustn't overestimate himself, no matter how many enemies he defeated. He still needs to be stronger…stronger, so that the Generation of Miracles will always find someone who is better than them, and will never lose their passion for basketball.

And unknowingly, this was how he had helped one of the Generation of Miracles find his worth in basketball.

-x-

The walk back home was rushed, as he raced against time, hoping desperately that that one special shop has not closed yet.

When he arrived, the owner was just getting ready to shut the doors. He shouted out an apology as he rushed in, too much adrenaline rushing through his ears for him to hear the disbelieving squeak of 'Sorenji-sama!', and ran forward to one familiar shelf containing the one thing which he had passed by everyday and spent months staring at now.

Grabbing it, he slapped a wad of bills on the counter table before rushing back home to his worried father who will no doubt fuss over him later.

-x-

"T…This is?" He asked in confusion.

"Hic…Ohhhh…Haaaruka, Oooka-e-ri-na-sai…?"

His father hiccupped drunkenly.

-x-

**A/N: Thank you for all your kind support thus far. In the beginning, I wasn't very sure if anyone would like this story, but your positive reviews are certainly a pat on the back to me. To those who are following this story, I will be updating irregularly, and possibly stop for a while due to my approaching End of Year Examinations. Please be patient and bear with me. Once again, I express my gratitude to those who liked this story. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

ReBirth Chapter 3

-x-

**Year 1 Month 12**

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARUKA(-SAMA), SEIJURO(-SAMA)!"

Haruka flushed lightly under the attention, shifting his body shyly to hide slightly behind Seijuro's larger frame. A small, pale hand reached up to tug at the redhead's sleeve, the other hiding the lower half of his face.

"T-This is…?" He questioned. Just as he thought, seeing and feeling the attention are two totally different experiences.

"A birthday party. Specially for both of us." The redhead answered nonchalantly, not the least fazed by the many gazes directed at them, even though in his heart, he mildly smiled at Haruka seeking _him_ as his source of comfort.

The preparations for the party had been more than hectic, to say the least. And just as he expected, everything was an absolute mess when he reached home, to find his mother who has been MIA for over half a year, laughing boisterously as she undressed and redressed the servants.

Don't ask. It's better not to know.

-x-

"_What…are you doing?" The question was not a question, but rather, a statement underlined with a soft warning that went unnoticed._

_The moment Seijuro had stepped into the mansion, he had found his once grand and exuberant mansion tied up in a kaleidoscope of silky rainbow ribbons, some of the butlers hanging from their specially grown trees, forcefully clad in dresses which revealed much of their repulsing hairy legs, gigantic teddy bears acting as ornaments for the mansion-turned-doll-house, and none other but the two main culprits, standing at the top of the spiral staircase._

"_Se-Seijuro-kun!" Slanted eyes tinted with amber much like to Haruka's, widened with relief. "G-Good! You're here – Please tell Miyato-chan to stop!"_

"_OHOHOHOHO~" _

_The boy barely looked up from the curtain of red hair to glimpse at his mother._

_The promiscuous woman was standing, clad in a lewd ball dress which revealed too much of her bosom and her legs. Long red curls, an extension of Seijuro's soft ones, were hanging over one of her shoulders as she flipped them flamboyantly. Scarlet eyes framed by luscious lashes smirked down at him from the top of the stairs as she fake-giggled._

_A scarlet eye twitched._

_If they say Haruka is the only who would alleviate his stern composure and bring out his soft side, Akashi Miyato would be the one who never fails to claw out his inner flare._

"_As expected of my Seijuro, to discover this party so quickly…So, do you like my decorations?" The woman taunted him._

"_No. Remove them immediately." Seijuro ordered. "What we need is not a pristine, feminine doll house, Mother, this is a birthday party for boys. Please make suitable arrangements. With a serious attitude." He added when a mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes._

_Miyato pouted._

"_But that is so hard~, Seijuro~! I've never met Haruka before and even though I've asked Haruhi, she does not even know anything about her son!" She whined._

"_For a start," Seijuro said warily. "Haruka does not like people going to great extents for them, nor does he interact with many people within the business world, so do not even think about holding a grand ball and using him for your own motives."_

"_Ara? And once again, you saw through my intentions~" The woman batted her lashes._

"_It is blatantly obvious." The boy deadpanned, and turned to his uncle. "Ryuusuke-oji-sama, you should have known better than to come to my house, especially when my Mother is present."_

"_Don't ignore me!" Miyato pouted._

"_B-But I was going to invite Hayato and you over to celebrate with us." The man reasoned, whimpering when his sister-in-law rubbed herself over him. "I didn't know she'd be here! Or I would have made a call instead…"_

"_I'm insulted, my dear Ryuusuke! How could you say such hurtful words?" Miyato purred, to prove his point._

"_I assume that the party would be held at your house, and not all preparations have been finished yet?" Seijuro raised a weary brow._

"_Hai…Wait – Miyato-cha – Where are you touching?! N-No! D-Don't put a dress on me – STOP! MIYA – NOT A RIBBON, AND NOT THAT SKIMPY DRESS OF ALL THINGS PLEASE – STOP!"_

"_Ehhh~ But pink looks cute on you~! Isn't that right, Seijuro~?"_

_The red haired boy turned away from the scene, staring blankly when scarlet eyes found the figure of his father, hanging limply from one of the ribbons attached to the ceiling, all dolled up in a sparkling green dress and a long blond wig and his face was layered with repulsing thick make up._

_Akashi Hayato looked up weakly at him and gave a traumatized chuckle._

_Seijuro lifted his phone to his ears and dialed a number._

"_Yes, it is me. Could you please chauffer these pathetic, idiotic disgrace of adults to the Sorenji's after you tear down these meaningless decorations? Yes, and make sure you clean up the place. I do not want to see any fumbling, cross-dressing butlers when I reach home. That's all."_

-x-

And that was how the party was shifted to the Sorenji's small but humble manor. Though…

Scarlet eyes deadpanned as they stared at the group abandoned in one corner of the building, left in all their drunken glory to puke their guts out on the floor, which some poor fool will definitely have to clean up later.

Miyato laughed drunkenly as she jabbed her elbows back, unintentionally hitting a similarly dazed Sorenji Ryuusuke in the gut and causing her well-endowed bosom to bounce delightfully, just before she collapsed on his daft fool of a father.

And to think that this destruction was caused by some alcoholic cake ordered by this very group…

Idiots.

"Seijuro, it was your birthday, too?"

The scarlet boy turned to blink down into large amber eyes of a frowning Haruka.

The orange boy had forgotten all about his own birthday, though it's not like he had known about it beforehand. The only reason why he even knew Ryuu skipped work to celebrate his first birthday (and his parents' wedding anniversary) the last time, was merely because of the photos which the baby Haruka were shown in. The dates weren't even labelled.

As for Seijuro though, despite being aware of the date, he had truly forgotten it.

The Sorenji peered guiltily up at his friend, chastising himself. How could he forget the birthday of his best friend? And to think that this is the first birthday they are celebrating together!

Seijuro merely lifted the corners of his lips, brushing his fingers through orange curls.

"Yes, but it's fine. Don't worry too much about it. I'm just happy that I get to spend time with you." The redhead ruffled his hair fondly.

Haruka smiled slightly. Ever the Seijuro, always knowing what he was thinking.

"But still, no one should celebrate his birthday without a gift from his best friend!" The orange boy nodded determinedly, before pulling out the basketball which he had bought earlier and chucked it into Seijuro's surprised face. "Here."

The Akashi took it from his arms, examining it with a look of confusion on his face.

"…For me?" His wide-eyed look was almost endearing.

"Hai. (Yes.)" Haruka laughed, reaching up to pinch his Seijuro's cheeks with icy fingers, cold from the freezing night outside. "It's basketball. I was thinking of introducing the game to you sometime soon anyway. I think you've been spending too much time as a couch potato in your mansion."

"Hn." Seijuro looked away, not bothering to argue.

"Haruka-sama, I think just walking through the Akashi mansion twice a day is more than your average exercise already." A maid walked respectfully up to them, smiling lightly.

"Really?" Haruka threw his head back, laughing loudly.

"That's right. Just by walking through the eastern wing of the mansion, my 'Great Valley' would already be sweating bullets!" A drunken Miyato laughed as she hugged the orange boy close to her chest. "Wanna see?"

"Akashi-Maman, it's been a long time." The child smiled brightly up at her.

Seijuro scowled at his mother for trying to taint his friend, pulling the orange child away from the woman who slumped and proceeded to mumble a gallon of nonsensical things about 'So innocent, that child' and 'Completely ignored.'

"Sei?"

He quickly diverted Haruka's attention away from his embarrassing mother.

"Your present. Don't you want to see?" An elegantly wrapped, bright orange box was dropped into his small hands.

Amber eyes practically sparkled as he looked down at his gift in awe, hugging it close to his chest as if it was the most precious thing ever to be gifted to him by god.

Seijuro smirked at his excitement.

"Can I open it?" Haruka looked up, meekly asking whilst he practically _vibrated_ on the spot.

"Go on."

Immediately, small dainty hands worked their way through the wrapping paper, setting it aside before opening the box.

The gift that slipped out into his hands was unexpected, yet something that was so like Sei it made him chuckle breathlessly in amusement.

The present which rested limply in his hands was none other than a long bright red, orange and brown checkered scarf, trailing in gentle waves to the ground. It seems to have been tailored for a seven year old, instead of his size, but he guessed he would be able to grow into it in the future.

Still. It was something useful, not plain, but not overly showy.

Translation: The perfect gift that Sei would definitely present to anyone.

"I didn't realize that it was your birthday until we separated at the Karuta center, so I didn't have too much time to choose your gift." The redhead looked away, and Haruka blinked, wide-eyed when he noticed the tint on his cheeks.

There was an awkward silence.

"I'll apologize beforehand if you didn't like it." Seijuro added.

"That's right. I don't like it."

The redhead's gaze returned to land on him in astonishment at the odd bluntness and somewhat cruel statement which pierced his heart, before a flush returned to his face at the sight that caught his eyes.

Haruka was hugging the long scarf which seemed to swallow his small body to his chest, nuzzling his cheek into the soft cotton fabric with a wide, adorable smile as he closed his eyes with a soft laugh. Pink tinted his pale face as he beamed at Seijuro.

"I _love _it."

-x-

**Year 2 Month 6**

When it comes to strategies, formulas, and things to do with mathematics and sciences in particular, Akashi Seijuro was second to none. This was a fact known to Haruka ever since his best friend took a sudden interest in science, just several months after the demon tutor came. But what he had never known was that Seijuro's basketball was built mostly on a solid foundation of formulas and theories, things that most others might not consider when playing on the field.

This was why he was absolutely baffled the day after their birthdays, when Seijuro took a trip down to the local library and brought back with him a lorry of theory books, flipping through the pages almost immediately.

When the orange child hesitantly questioned his possibly insane friend, the redhead simply answered that theories are, as he quote: "The most basic foundation to playing any sport, especially one such as basketball where the victory requires perfect, flawless strategies and is directly influenced by the condition of the player's mind."

Yup, Haruka would definitely agree to that. But is it really compulsory to study it so thoroughly that he has to have every muscle movement, nerve signals, and the brain waves imprinted in his mind?

Do-Masochist. His cousin is definitely one of those extreme masochists.

But Haruka would later take back that thought, when he realized during the actual practice that it was the theory portion which provided Seijuro with so much of his later confidence in basketball.

It was almost astounding really, how his Seijuro manages to link the pictures from the books to the images in reality with just one brief glance, and immediately produced a hundred percent accurate set of data of the weaknesses, strengths, potential, and the playing pattern of an athletic.

It was only after Seijuro first tested that out on a street player, that Haruka had just came to the startling realization that Seijuro was not only similar as him in their playing style, but also much akin to Riko, the future coach of Seirin, in the sense that they are both able to analyze the individual capabilities with a glance.

But what made Seijuro stand above Riko, Haruka reckons, is the fact that he is not only a player, but also knows how to channel his knowledge straight to his body and change his playing pattern to suit the weakness of the other player. He is always adapting quickly, and trying out new options. Riko is far less flexible, since she always has to formulate strategies based on the abilities of her team, and not based on what each individual of the team think they may be able to do.

The first time when Seijuro had changed his playing style to suit his weaknesses, Haruka was taken breathless by the intelligent way he had adapted to take advantage of his lack of usage of his eyes – or rather, his overusage of his ears. That had been the first time he ever scored a goal against him.

Now, Haruka was more than proud to say that under his tutelage, Seijuro had managed to attain his own emperor eye style, some of his quick dribbling speed, and his triple threat penetration – a technique which identifies basic form which all players have to go into before they attempt any techniques and uses its one weak point.

And whilst many others will say that this is but a mere fraction of the techniques that should be in any player's arsenal, Haruka was well aware of the potential that just these techniques would possess in the future. What they lack now is simply experience, the very thing which they'll both slowly gain overtime.

With this, they are ready for their first match.

-x-

**Ren**

The practice after the InterHigh is always the most tedious and strenuous for everyone. For the students, the competition is nothing but a way to inflate their already basketball sized egos and to laugh about being better than the rest of the nation. For the coaches though, it was a reality check, to benchmark their level against the other teams, weed out an excuse to put them through a torture session, and to push them even harder for the rest of the year.

He would know this, of course, seeing how he is the renowned troublemaker of the year and would always sneak into the teachers' office to 'overhear' their conversations.

And they were laughing about it the last time too.

The sadists.

But for this month, none of the tough training seems to matter with the new angel which has been transferred to their school from America.

Ah…The angel with all her blond glory, emerald eyes, and that large rack up there which had everyone's eyes in an instant.

Nobody understands why Alexandra Garcia had joined the men's basketball team, but the first thing she did the moment she stepped into the school was none other than to slap the form onto the face of Sanada, the present first string coach, and ask to join them. And this is no joke either, she really did that. The team was snickering behind the ever stern and temporarily-scarred-faced coach's back for a month after that.

However, no one (other than Sanada) ever complained about her though. The main reason was of course, her well endowed bosom. In addition to that, she also possessed exotic beauty and fabulous grades which made the teachers drool over her. Her skills in basketball also had her rising through the ranks in no time at all, landing herself a spot in the starters.

Her presence on the team, despite being a distraction, was also a motivation for the rest to work harder.

Ren has no complains about her, even though Jun was currently fuming about it behind him.

"…Really! I don't get why the members of team two were fighting amongst themselves for her! I mean, I wouldn't mind if they did that in their own time, but to let it affect the results of the last match! How could they be so irresponsible?!" Jun gritted his teeth.

Uwah~ He must be really angry for his speech to become so…informal, as Jun might put it.

"Mah, mah~ Don't worry about it. Either way, at least the team would score more goals overall, right?" Ren laughed and slapped his slighter friend's back.

" 'Don't worry'? Don't worry?! Their petty jealousy has pushed them to throw basketballs at each others' faces, and you tell me not to worry! They are first-strings, the second best team besides the starters, and _they are representing us in practice matches!_ Why don't _you_ deal with the complaints and Sanada when other schools begin calling us on our nonexistent teamwork?" He huffed, crossing his arms.

"Hey! That is your own fault for even accepting the position of captain in the first place! I told you when you were chosen, that it would be more than stressful." Ren put his hands up innocently.

"What's the use of rubbing salt into my wound at this point, Ren?" Jun grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Do you really dislike her that much?" Ren chuckled.

"Well…" Jun faltered. "Her personality is fine, and she does work well with our team. I just…dislike the effect she has on the rest of the team, okay?"

"Oh, really? Well, I apologize for that."

"AH! WHAT THE-" Jun jumped and swivelled around.

Jogging on the other side of him was none other than the person in question, grinning from ear to ear, her long blonde locks gathered in a high ponytail that whipped around. Her emerald eyes peered at him with mirth dancing in them, missing their usual glasses.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?!"

"Ever since you started ranting about Sanada." Ren cut in, laughing.

"Well, that's…that's…" Jun flushed at Alex's curious glance. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm not surprised at your reaction though." The blonde smiled, throwing him a sideward glance. "I mean, I am pretty annoyed that they actually sacrificed their teamwork just for something as small as a crush."

"So says the crush." Ren deadpanned.

"Yup." She laughed.

"…Then it is good between us?" Jun questioned hesitantly.

"It's good."

"Good." He nodded.

The three jogged together in the comforting silence that enveloped them, until a yell from Sanada broke through the air.

"REN, JUN, AND MITOBE! HAVEN'T I MENTIONED FOR YOU NOT TO INVITE ANY RANDOM KIDS TO OUR SCHOOL DURING OUR PRACTICE SESSIONS?!"

"Gaki (Kids)?" Ren blinked, cross-eyed for a moment before the bulb lit up above him. He turned to look at Jun blankly.

"Ah." They echoed.

-x-

The orange haired boy was there when they reached the entrance to the gym, smiling widely as he conversed with the head coach, Shirogane Kozo. The man grinned down at him, even barking a laugh every now and then when the boy said something entertaining. In his right hand, he held the darker hand of another larger boy, this time with scarlet hair and eyes.

Ren, Jun, Mitobe and with the addition of a curious Alex approached the group with slow, wary steps.

Ren could hardly control his face-splitting grin when he recognized the orange boy.

Even though he has grown a little since the last time, his doll-like features and short height still remained. Mirth danced in those large, and strangely knowing amber eyes, brought out by sun-kissed curls, as he extended a hand towards Kozo and politely shook his hand, beaming happily. Ren was briefly reminded of an adorable kitten.

The other boy was one which brought up his guard, somehow.

The boy was larger than Haruka, though still slender for his age. Piercing scarlet eyes seem to be darting all around the place, mapping out the interior of the building before returning to analyzing the conversation. The intimidating gaze intensified whenever Haruka made contact with Kozo, or when anybody came closer to Haruka, in particular. It was almost unnerving, how the boy protectively shielded his friend from the attention of the other curious players.

And Ren didn't fail to notice their interlinked hands, Haruka's thumb trailing comforting circles on the back of his.

The emotionless boy (now termed as emo, in Ren's mind) turned to look at his friend, and scarlet eyes mellowed as quickly as ice would melt in a dessert.

Ren snickered.

Ooh…So that's how it is.

"Ah, Ren-nii!" Haruka blinked and waved at him.

"Yo, gaki." The albino strolled forward, ruffling the impossibly soft orange locks. "Did 'cha miss me?" He shot a smug glance down at the other brat.

"Mh! Even though it's only been one match, I have been looking forward to playing with you for months!"

Scarlet eyes narrowed a fraction.

Hoho. Ren revelled in that.

He's jealous, he's jealous!

"I even came for our agreed match with a friend!" Haruka cheerfully said, blissfully ignorant to the silent staring contest between the two males. "This is Akashi Seijuro, my cousin. He started playing basketball just some time after that game!"

That game?

Alex stared at the group from far off, confusion and frustration overtaking her as she wondered about the tiny little bundle of joy who was laughing joyfully at her newly made friend.

How had they known each other? Not to get her wrong, but it isn't everyday that a two year old would come up to your door, asking for a game of basketball. Besides, that glint of respect that shone in Ren's eyes whenever he looked at the orange child…Not even the head coach had managed to garner that look of admiration.

She looked up at the two teenagers on either side of her and voiced out her thoughts.

"That game?" Somehow, Jun understood and smiled down at her.

"Six months ago, perhaps, a group of us were lazing around in a public court and this kid came along. We then played a three on three with each other, with Jun, him, and myself challenging the rest – along with Takashi there. And guess what?" He paused for a dramatic effect and smirked. "More than two thirds of the goals went to him."

"At his age?" Alexandra blinked cryptically. "Are you sure none of you went easy on him?"

"No." Alex jumped in surprise. That was the first time she heard Takashi speak.

"Nope," Jun repeated, elaborating. "He had the other team pressing for time, and they even got desperate enough to make Takashi mark him."

"Wow." Alex looked at the kid with a newfound interest.

"Oh?" The albino's red eyes narrowed when he recognized the name 'Akashi', a slow smirk overtaking his face as he drawled. "If the genius which runs through the blood is what made you this strong…Then I bet he is just as good as you, isn't he, if not…even better?"

Scarlet eyes glinted at the blatant challenge.

Alexandra allowed an excited smirk to curl over her lips when she recognized the mood. It was almost as if she was back in America, playing street basketball with others.

However, unbeknownst to her, the people experiencing the mood felt a tweak bit different.

Despite recognising the taste of competitiveness in the air, Haruka tried to wave it off with a hand.

"Well, I wouldn't know about that. He's been playing for a shorter period than m–"

"Tou zen da (Of course.)" A cool, composed voice easily cut through the air. Alex had to look around, before she finally realized, with a shock, that the adult-like voice had came from none other than the scarlet brat.

Amber eyes blinked, taken aback.

"Sei?"

Seijuro scowled deeply at the albino, allowing his irritation at him for touching Haruka – _And he's still touching his ignorant friend so intimately, too casually, and touching what is his. his. his. His._ – to overwhelm him. Ignoring the silent warnings in his head, he stepped forward, slapping the albino's palm off _his_ Haruka.

"I will even show it to you in a match, if needed. Just Haruka and I will be more than enough to defeat you."

"Wait! Sei–"

"HA! That's just what I want!" Ren finally leaned back, interest shinning in his red eyes as he looked at the fierce spark in those scarlet eyes. _'Akashi, huh.'_ "We'll even be kind to you and give you Takashi. In return…"

Alexandra and Jun both yelped when strong muscular arms dragged them forward, wrapping tightly around their shoulders like steel beams. Ren smirked.

"…You'll have to beat Jun, me and Alex, the most awesome team in history which has just been formed, here and now!"

-x-

**Haruka Sorenji**

Alexandra Garcia.

A onetime player on the Women's National Basketball Association, a champion in the college tournament NCLA and a member of the UCLA. Her records all show that she was a brilliant polished gem in the basketball world until she later contracted some vision disease, causing her to turn her back on professional basketball and to start playing on the streets. It was during that period that she met Kagami and Himuro, and was later introduced to the show as their mentor.

As Alexandra and himself were quite similar with their contraption of visionary imparity, he had been fond of her, and understood her choice to drop out of professionalism despite how he might have continued playing if it was him.

But there was still none of that yet.

Right now, she is just a haughty thirteen year old fresh out of elementary school, still naïve to the workings of the world. She has barely begun her journey as a basketball player, and still hasn't experienced any obstacles.

But somehow, he liked this Alex just as much as the mentoring, steadfast jaded woman shown in the manga.

Haruka chuckled to himself as he hid a smile behind his hand.

It was rather unfortunate that he had to take off his scarf – which has long grown to become his security blanket – but he would rather have it off now, than to have it gone for a whole day in the cleaners.

At his odd smile, numerous bemused gazes were thrown at him.

"What, gaki?" Ren smiled down at him, poking his head in amusement.

At the ex-Ace's (Ren, since the new Ace was Alex) demand, the whole court has been cleared up especially for the three-on-three match which they were playing. Currently, the players were aligned in the middle of the court, followed by a twitching Sanada and grinning Kozo, who was simply happy that he would get to see a match. The rest of the team stood on the sidelines, waiting to see the 'Impossible, exciting and amazing stunt!' which Ren promised them.

"Nothing." Haruka smiled up at him. "I'm just excited to kick your ass, Ren-nii."

"Oya? Defeat the best in Teiko? That's-"

"YES! GO DO JUST THAT, KID!" Some guy in the team cheered. This was followed by many mutters of agreement.

"YOU JERKS! Aren't you supposed to cheer for your own member?!" Ren growled.

"Sure, but…WHEN IT'S YOU PLAYING, SOMEHOW OUR MOTIVATION FOR CHEERING JUST WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN!" Some more nods.

"Bastards! Once the game is over, I'll grill you over!"

"And just how did we get dragged into this?" Jun facepalmed.

"Well, at least we get a chance to play with the kid, don't we?" Alex smiled cheerfully. "If he's as good as you say he is, then it'll be a game worth playing!"

"Yeah…but-"

"Can we start? Or are you going to start waving your butt at your fanboys, Ren?" Sanada asked irritably, tapping a finger against another arm.

"EEWW! SHUCKS! NOBODY HERE NEEDED THAT IMAGE, COACH!" The same boy screamed, dramatically puking.

"…"

Ren's only response was the finger.

"Well, anyway, let's begin!" The game was started off with a loud whistle.

-x-

_**BEEEEEEEEEP!**_

Takashi and Ren, the players competing for the ball leapt up into the air, hands outstretched for their orange target which was flying mid-air. Haruka was unsurprised when it was Takashi who managed to get it, knocking it towards Seijuro.

The redhead immediately redirected it towards him with a light tap of the finger, and he smiled as he gratefully received it, charging towards their own goal.

Almost at once, the audience buzzed with confusion, and he could mildly hear Alexandra muttering to herself whilst looking at him, bemused. However, the others who have seen him do this technique before immediately launched into action, desperately trying to race after him.

'_Since they already know that blocking will injure them, the only thing that they could possibly do would be to run after me,'_ Haruka smirked as he neared the end of the court. _'That's why we'll have Sei and Taka-nii to defend them in return!'_

Ren and Jun found themselves blocked by the two other players, and panic arose when they caught a glimpse of the small orange figure turning around.

"Alex, stop him!" Ren cried.

The female moved into action by instinct.

Haruka smiled. Too late.

With strong fingers, he launched the ball into the air, admiring his usual throws as it flew dangerously close to the ceiling before finally reversing its direction to accelerate into the basket.

_Flomp! _And that was the sound of them receiving three points.

Haruka smiled as he walked past the gaping audience, whose jaws were mostly on the ground by now. Heck, even Kozo and Sanada, who were supposed to have worked with numerous developing athletics before, stared at him in shock.

Their attention was flustering, but what mattered more to him at this point was the possible emotional impact that his goal had on the other team.

Ren and Jun were blinking at him in frustration, whereas a wide-eyed Alexandra seems to have just realized the true potential which he possessed. The opinion of his respected foe mattered the most to him though, and he was mildly glad that he managed to make a good impression on her.

A large calloused hand dropped down to his head, and he looked up to see Takashi's usual stoic expression, along with a soft glint of pride shining in his eyes.

"That was great." A few head-ruffles here and there, and Haruka laughed up at him.

"You too, Taka-nii, for that awesome head start you gave us." He complimented, making the giant blush on the inside.

There was no need for words when Seijuro passed by him. Haruka exchanged a light bump of the fist with a soft smile, noting the bright shine in Seijuro's eyes.

"He sure got us." Ren sighed as he walked back to his friends, bowing his head apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't manage to get the first ball for us."

"Do not worry about it." Jun patted him lightly on the back as he stared at the other team warily. "More importantly, we need to know now how we can stop those shots of his."

"Hm…We'll just have to find that out as we go along." Alex's voice surprised them and they swivelled around, blinking rapidly when they saw how…feral the girl seems now.

The blonde was hunched over as she turned the ball on a finger, staring – no, _glaring_ at the other team and their goal in determination. Her lips were curled back in a snarl, revealing the unusually pointed teeth which would normally make her seem cute. But gone was the nice little missy, and in its place, a serious player whose competitiveness seems to be burning bright in her, a player much too extreme for a school idol now.

Ren and Jun smirked back at her too.

With a speed that would startle most people, she lurched forward, dribbling the ball quickly in one hand.

The sudden burst of energy did not go unnoticed by the other team.

Takashi charged forward, attempting to block her, but she merely dodged under one of his arms, dangerously swivelling around his body with astonishing flexibility before charging towards the bare goal.

She was surprised when the red haired kid suddenly appeared before her, but then smirked at his steely expression, lips pulled into a grim frown.

She feinted right in a fake then darted towards the left – And was promptly surprised when he did it with the same speed as hers, as though he already knew what she was planning from the start.

But her height gave her an advantage over the redheaded child.

With a long stride towards the left, which the child would not be able to catch up with his short stumpy legs, the path to getting them a dunk was cleared, and the blond teenager leapt up, and was just about to do just that, when she caught sight of the third player at the corner of her eyes.

Haruka was staring at her blankly from beside the basket, not even bothering to block her. But somehow, just his nonchalant, emotionless expression was enough to strike the realization in her.

'_If I dunk, he'll use the time whilst I'm recovering to get a three pointer from there!'_

Changing the course of her ball, she surprised her own team when she threw the ball backwards to them instead.

Jun read her mind immediately, and caught it gracefully in one palm. With a high jump, he easily aimed the ball at the basket, scoring them a three point.

_Flomp!_

The score was even now.

However, they didn't even have time to cheer before Haruka rushed forward, gathering the orange object into his small, tiny hands.

The child was just about to launch the ball, when Alex came forward and towered over him, blocking him from scoring any three pointers without injuring her, or at least, get a foul.

Amber eyes blinked, widening in shock, and she smiled.

"You can't score any points if there is something blocking you from above, can't you?" She asked lightly in amusement as her team gaped at her. The solution was that simple to begin with? But…

The orange boy looked strangely at her, before a sudden outbreak of laughter took her aback.

"W-What?" Alex blushed as she folded her arms, looking down at him.

"Ha-Haven't it occurred to you that Takashi and the rest had tried just that in our last game?" Haruka asked, once he recovered from his fits.

"Of course it has!" She pumped her fists lightly and smirked. "But that doesn't mean I can't try, does it?"

For some reason, that only succeeded in earning another bout of laughter.

"You…" Haruka smiled warmly at her. "…really are like him."

Kagami, that is, he thought. It is almost scary how similar she is to him, almost as if Kagami is the second coming of Alexandra Garcias.

"Eh?"

"Well, anyway, let's continue with the game." Haruka ended the conversation abruptly, smirking when her face took on one of immense concentration and determination, focusing only on the ball.

Starting off with a set of fast paced dribbles, all audiences were surprised when he suddenly slapped the ball harder with one hand, forcing it to break apart from the rhythm he has set and leap towards Alexandra's face.

Blond brows furrowed, trying to read the other's intent. Her slender but calloused hand flew up to capture the ball subconsciously, though her mind was only conjuring one thought.

_Is he mocking me with a simple amateur mistake, or is it intentional?_

The moment her fingertips came into contact with the bumps on the ball, her breath was caught in her throat when the boy flexed himself around her body, reaching a hand upwards to seemingly, lightly, tap the ball.

Her throat became dry when that the effects of that simple, light tap suddenly came into view.

The ball's direction was ultimately changed, charging in an overhead pass towards one of his team members – away from her half-hearted grasp.

"Basketball is not just a sport about the athletics' physical ability, but also their ability to plan." He chided lightly in her ear, just before he turned into nothing but a gust of wind.

Alex blinked and turned in shock.

The ball had travelled towards the redheaded child, and once again, like a silent supporter from the shadows, he only lightly tapped the ball to make it accelerate in the direction of Takashi, treating the block from Jun as if it was nothing.

From the opposite side of the court, Takashi and Ren were having a silent glaring war when the ball came flying towards them.

Ren immediately leapt into action, blocking Takashi with a stiff guarding posture that allowed barely any openings.

Takashi grunted as he attempted futilely to pass by Ren.

He failed. But this was only the least to be expected from Teiko's best defender.

Ren was taken aback when a sudden flash of orange appeared before him, his back to him, and with a flick of the pointer finger, Haruka redirected the ball upwards the air.

_Catch it!_ was Ren's only thought as he strained his legs, jumping high into the air.

But a large hand cutting into his reach and grabbing the ball was not what he expected.

Ren watched, wide-eyed as Takashi turned and immediately did a dunk with one hand, earning the group another two more points.

_Flomp!_

"5-3! Chibiko's (little child) team!" The referee cried out.

He was startled when the first line's coach, Sanada approached him and released a loud exclamation of shock, caught off guard by his words. There was a brief pause in the game before he finally returned to face the players with a sceptical look.

"F-From here on wards, there will be a timeout called by both teams. Sanada-san and Kozo-san will be joining each team as their temporary coach to back them up!"

"EHHH? That's allowed?!" Ren shouted in shock.

Haruka tilted his head and gave a slight smile when Seijuro turned to look back at him with a bemused look, the cryptic message of 'These weaklings, who need their coaches to hold their hands, are supposed to be the strongest?' underlying his gaze.

Chuckling softly, the orange boy shook his head, approached his cousin and gave him a light pat on the head.

"Don't underestimate them just yet, Sei. Teiko is strong."

-x-

**A/N: (Bows) Thank you all for your unending patience, and I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! It's been over a month since I last updated - A month full of sorrow and pain as I battled through a series of exams... But anyways! In response to the reviews I have gotten, I would like to say a few things to my readers: **

**Firstly, for those who aren't aware (and this is a spoiler!), Seijuro has two red eyes in the beginning, but that only changed in the middle of the Teiko Arc, resulting in heterochromia eyes. Next, I did get the beginning of Chapter 2 from Chihayafuru. In fact, I only knew about Karuta from that anime. Finally, yes! I know Haruka and their baby romance is adorable! If you guys have any other ideas on what kind of fluff I could put in, do suggest and I'll try to insert it into my story. **

**Again, thanks for all your support! Love you guys loads!**


	4. Chapter 4

ReBirth Chapter 4

-x-

**Year 2 Month 6**

**Sanada**

"Wha…What was that just now?!" His mouth fell open in a gape as he watched the child happily skipped over to his teammates, acting as if it had only been a simple deed.

"He launched the ball from the other end of the court." Kozo stated simply, but even Sanada could see the ends of his senior's eyes wrinkled tightly together as if caught off guard, not to mention the cigarette in his mouth…

"Wait – Kozo-sempai, you're smoking again?" Sanada spluttered in surprise, before pointing an accusing finger at the older man. "I thought you said you were quitting!"

"Well…Let's just say that I temporarily quit quitting smoking." Kozo took a puff and blew it into the air.

"Stop doing that, you irresponsible coach! The students are going to suffer from second-hand smoking as a result of your habits!" Sanada hissed in annoyance.

"Hm? Ma…Isn't it fine as long as the students don't smoke first-hand?" To make his point, the wretched man even waved his cigarette around in a circle, nearly hitting his fellow coach on the face.

"It isn't fine!"

"Well…Whatever." Sanada slumped at his reply and sighed.

"One day, you will definitely get lung cancer or something and regret your actions now." He grumbled resentfully.

"I assure you that I will not, so chill out, Sanada." Kozo's eyes crinkled together in a smile. "More importantly, our Ace and our students are losing, Sanada. Aren't you going to do something about that?"

"HUH?! You're just going to push the responsibility on me?" Sanada growled.

"Well, Teiko IS supposed to be the best in terms of basketball, mainly due to its Spartan coaches."

"_You_'ve been here longer than I was, _you _are the more Spartan of the two of us, and so _you_ do it." Not that he knew what 'it' was, of course.

"…Okay."

…

HUH?

"Seriously?!"

"Yup."

"You're going to interfere with their match? Just to help give leverage to our own students? Wouldn't that seem pathetic?!"

"Yup, it would. So…"

"So…?"

"So you would be joining me!"

"EH?!"

And that was how he got into this mess, along with that meddlesome sempai of his who is more trouble than he is worth.

-x-

Damn Kozo Shirogane a thousand times for this. If his name is shinigami, he would send the man to the last level in hell, revive him, and send him back there again.

Okay, one…two…Here goes!

"I-I'm sorry to say, but my abilities lies not on the field, but rather, only behind the scenes. I can only unload training on my students, y-you see…and to be frank, I am totally useless at e-everything related to working on the field…" He forced his face into an 'apologetic' smile. "S-S-So s-sorry to say…But I will only be a l-l-…l-!...liability to you."

This was the brilliant (memorized) speech which the team was met with the moment they arrived at their bench, accompanied by what was the most intimidating smile on earth that looked like it belonged to a pedophile ready to rape and eat some poor kid.

Shivers were sent down his spine. Amber eyes immediately got teary and Haruka darted behind Seijuro with a soft 'Meep!', suddenly reminded of his friend's scary glare at the Karuta centre. Seijuro's hand automatically grasped his by instinct, giving a tight, comforting squeeze only a second later.

The redhead himself was joined by Takashi as they both stared at the supposed coach blankly before the Akashi finally broke the silence.

"If you do not wish to lend us your help, just say so. We do understand that this timeout is supposed to give Teiko the advantage to recover from our display of techniques, so you do not have to hide your intentions with that blatant lie of yours." He stated bluntly.

"W-What are you saying?" Sanada attempted a 'lighthearted' chuckle which only succeeded in coming out as an ear-grating noise. "I-I am not hiding anything-"

"You are."

"I'm not-"

"You are."

"I am not-"

"You. Are."

Sanada tried to maintain his façade, but as an honest and sensible teacher who knows the value of integrity, unlike a certain other idiotic teacher, he finally dropped the act.

"You figured it out so fast…" The usually stern teacher pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, it was blatantly obvious from the very start." Seijuro added, rubbing alcohol into the wound. "And if you could, please drop that forced expression of yours. As you can see, you are scaring my cousin here."

"Eh?"

"Mh?" Haruka timidly peered over Seijuro's shoulders, then smiled when he saw Sanada's normal facial expression. Walking forward hesitantly, he beamed at the coach and shook his hand.

"If I am correct, you must be Sanada-san, the coach of the first-string in Teiko. It is my pleasure to meet you. I am Haruka Sorenji, the future boss of the Sorenji Cooperation, which currently is investing in this school, and that is Akashi Seijuro. Even though you won't be aiding us, I hope you will at least observe our match?"

What a sudden switch in composure…even though he supposed it was partly his fault.

"Eh? Eto…"

And what was he supposed to say in this situation? He had been expecting a bunch of snot-nosed brats who behave even worse than the clowns (AKA. Ren and Alex) but what came instead was a bunch of well-mannered children. Children who are nurtured in sophisticated environments really are better than those below them…

No wait. He takes back his words.

That redhead had just glared at him.

After the introductions were done, the team put their heads together to discuss their plan.

"Sei, so far, what have you found out?" Amber eyes gleamed with interest.

"From the short little preview that they have given us, it is not much compared to what I would have gotten from watching a full match, but I have managed to discover some of their weaknesses and strengths." The redhead shrugged simply when their coach sent him a disbelieving look.

"So fast?" He whispered. No one took notice of him.

"Taka-nii, please listen and add whatever he missed out on." Haruka smiled kindly at the silent giant

"Ah." He gave a brief nod.

"From what I have gathered," Seijuro started. "The team's dynamics are quite the typical. Their main line of offense is Alex, who appears to be fair fast and flexible. Her style of playing relies on these two as their basic foundation, even though it also leans slightly towards the erratic and ferocious street basketball which relies on split second decisions and agility. She has a tendency to make dunks, as demonstrated by her choice in rushing in for a dunk, when she could have made a three-point shot, with Mitobe-san – the only potential defender – being far off from the goal. It is likely that she is bad at three point shots, even though no signs have pointed to that yet."

He paused briefly, before looking at Takashi for confirmation.

"For now though, what we do have to be aware of is how she threw the ball back to Jun-san without looking at him. As it is, it seems like she possesses either the Eagle, or Hawk eye, which allows her to view at the game from every direction." He added contemplatively.

"Taka-nii," Haruka smiled softly when the tall giant jumped.

"Y…Yes, she does have the Eagle eye." Takashi answered quietly. "However, for her three-point shots, she has forty percent accuracy from the last time I checked."

Sanada watched the conversation with awe, astounded by how much the children managed to pull from his quiet student. The most he had ever heard from Takashi never exceeded what he could count with one hand.

"I will continue to handle her then." Haruka volunteered. He chuckled. "My three pointers would be able to over-score her dunks by a point each time, and even if she manage to snatch the ball from my grasp or try to make a three pointer, as long as she doesn't has the ball, she won't be able to score now, will she?"

"Steals, you mean?" Sanada could not help but speak up.

"Hai." Amber eyes practically sparkled as he answered.

"Next," Seijuro continued. "Jun-san appears to be the point guard, judging by his perky tendencies to analyze each scenario and finalize the best path before taking action. Even though he specializes in passes, he is also brilliant at three-point shots and is the emotional support for the other two, as demonstrated by how he was ready for the pass even before Alex-san threw the ball. He is also extremely stealthy as he managed to slip away from my guard unnoticed. However, it is noted that he is a weak defender."

"I will take him on." Takashi's quiet statement surprised Sanada. The Mitobe elaborated with a nod of conviction. "I am the only one who is able to block three-point shots in this team. It would be best to put me against Jun."

"Hm~ And furthermore, you are the one with the longest hands," All eyes turned to Haruka, who only tilted his head encouragingly at Takashi. "Should he slip from your guard, with your speed, you will be the most likely out of us to be able to knock the ball from his grip. Focus mainly on blocking his three-pointers though. Sei and I will take care of the steals." He smirked.

"Hn." Takashi nodded.

"Then I will take care of Ren." Seijuro announced with a sense of finality.

"W-Won't you have trouble slipping past him?" Sanada spoke up. The rest of the team stared at him, and he gasped, covering his mouth.

Ah…In the end, he still helped.

"Mah…It's fine!" Haruka laughed.

" 'It's fine'? What does that mean?" Sanada questioned, ticked off with their careless manner of handling Ren. For god sake, Ren is their best guard in Teiko, and these children are treating him as though he is nothing?!

Behind him, Takashi gave a slight nod of confusion, looking puzzled.

"We'll just let the ball slip into Ren's hands, and then we'll steal it back!" Haruka winked at them secretively, smiling widely from ear to ear as he leaned back to rest his head on his cousin's shoulders, looking up at him with bright amber eyes. "Ne, Sei~?"

"Ah." The redhead nodded, smirking at them with that smug, knowing way of his.

"How can you be so certain that you will be able to steal it back?!" Sanada finally snapped.

"Well, even if Ren and all other players have developed their own style of playing, we've all started with the same step and same basics, isn't that right?" Haruka smirked when Sanada nodded in response. "Making use of that, if we are somehow able to topple those first few bricks at the bottom…wouldn't that mean that we would be able to defeat all players?"

Sanada blinked at the logic.

"But how would you intend to do that?" He asked.

"That's…"

_**BEEEEEEEEP**_

"Your timeout is over. Players are to gather back at the court!" The referee's voice cut through the air.

"Mh? Time's up," Haruka frowned as he looked up at Seijuro. "We hadn't managed to discuss a strategy at all."

"Everything will be fine as long as we each fulfill our roles." The redhead reasoned calmly, scarlet eyes blazing with cold fire and determination that matched his team's. "Keep the ball away from the opposing team. That will be our goal for this half of the match unless a problem comes up. I will be counting on you two to keep scoring, whilst I neutralize their main line of defense."

"Hai!"

-x-

But nothing is ever this smooth in a game, isn't it?

Haruka frowned as Alex caught the ball when it went in and immediately surged up towards him, only for emerald orbs to clash with molten amber.

She seemed less rash now…Kozo must have calmed her down during the timeout they had, he reasoned. It was only to be expected, from the one renowned coach who managed to convince the Sorenji Company to invest in Teiko. However, unlike before, there seems to be a spark of intelligence in her eyes – the same look which would only be found in hawk eyes-!

He blinked when the female took a testing step forward, automatically stepping towards to the left, and was promptly left surprised when she tried to step around him.

Amber eyes narrowed as his fingers reached forward.

_Like I would let you!_

The ball only narrowly escaped his grasp when Alex passed the ball backwards to Jun, who immediately prepared for a three-pointer shot.

However, the moment the ball left his hands, a larger pair of hands slammed it back down to the ground. The ball bounced off the floor.

Thank god that Takashi was there.

In an instant, Haruka was rushing towards the ball, followed closely – but still not close enough – by a ferocious Alex who released mumbled curses as they went along.

Ah, as he thought with slight relief, her actions are still being influenced mostly by her emotions.

And it was that thought that caused him surprise when she suddenly sped up when they were near the ball, narrowly brushing against the leather of the ball just as Haruka put a light tap on it to make it accelerate without being affected by her interference.

The ball was sent flying towards the Seijuro-Ren pair.

And Haruka smiled slightly as he watched Alex rush towards them.

Ah, now he figured out what changed.

Somehow, it seems like Coach Kozo had placed a lid on Alex's bundle of confidence. He did not know what the renowned coach had said to his student, but whatever he has done, it seems to have made her think of Haruka's team as superior to them, and Alex's own team as a lower team who is challenging someone of higher standing.

Now, even though most might not think of this as much, Haruka knew from experience just how much the mindset influences the athlete's performance. With this change in mindset, it is more likely that the other team would take all cautions, form more back up plans, and put even more emphasis on every goal. In turn, this results in more goals, and a higher chance of winning.

As expected of Kozo, Haruka mentally applauded the man as he smirked to himself.

It seems like they would have to bet more on this match, in order to not lose.

He put more energy into his legs and overtook Alex, surprising her with his sudden change of speed.

"Sei!" He shouted as the ball flew into Ren's palms.

The redhead gave a swift nod and scarlet eyes focused on the teenager's muscular frame, waiting for the right moment. And just as Ren turned around and raised his hands up to attempt to shoot a three pointer, the redhead's finger sliced through the air, hitting the ball with a large amount of force.

The albino's breath hitched when the ball escaped his grip, flying towards Haruka instead.

Alex rushed into action and attempted to steal the ball. But all was for naught when the orange child merely dodged around her outstretched hands, flicking the ball in the direction of the basket with his fingers.

_Flomp!_

It was a three pointer that carried more weight than the rest of the goals up until now.

Haruka smiled when he saw Alex's narrowed eyes, chuckling in amusement as she rushed forward to get that ball.

As he followed closely behind her, he thought, for a brief moment, about how the game is going to get even more interesting thanks to the coaches' interference.

-x-

"How are they faring now?"

Onyx eyes darted around, following the figures of the athletes on the court.

Haruka had just bend his top half of the body down, stretching out his left hand to knock the ball out of Alex's dribbling hand. The ball soared through the mid-air, before it was caught by Takashi.

The giant soundlessly charged towards the foe's goal, doing a fierce dunk which had the goal quivering in his grasp. And just as the kids had predicted, Jun's block didn't even manage to faze him in the slightest.

However, Jun quickly recovered from the shock and rushed forward, shooting the ball towards Alex. The Ace of Teiko dribbled the ball around with her usual, fast pace that would usually confuse her opponents, only to have it stolen from right under her nose by the orange child.

Alex growled, but unexpectedly, Jun slipped away from Takashi's defense to knock the ball away from the child from behind.

The ball was quickly knocked back to Takashi, but it did not escape either coaches' notice that Alex was getting faster, and Jun was avoiding Takashi's defenses more easily with every passing minute.

"Better, thanks to you." He growled half heartedly.

"You're welcome for that." Sanada snorted in response. "But it seems in the middle of the short timeout, the other team has managed to catch you within their grasp."

"…I will not deny that." He admitted, giving a glare when Kozo chuckled.

"What did they do?" Kozo asked curiously.

"The red one divulged all his findings about Alex and Jun from that short one minute play of theirs, and guess what?" He paused, before grumbling even more. "He managed to find out every single habit, strengths and weaknesses of theirs which we have our database, including the ones which they've developed only just recently."

"That is incredible." Kozo tilted his head with a smile.

"Even if he didn't have time to make it to Ren's list of information, somehow, I don't doubt that he has them stored somewhere in that brain of his." Sanada added.

The red blob on the court suddenly knocked the ball out of Ren's hands just as he was about to pass, infuriating the usually pompous albino even further.

"Oh, and did I mention that he has somehow managed to form a style that targets a certain basic thing which everyone has to have, in order to play the game?"

"What is that?" Kozo asked.

"The timeout was over before I got to find out. But all I know is that it is either a technique or stance used in shooting and passing." Sanada shrugged.

"Ah…" The senior chuckled knowingly and stared intently at the match. "I would say that it is the basic stance which every player has to pass through in order to dribble, pass and shoot. Not many would know about this commonality though, unless they flip through the books."

"Hm…is that so…"

Seijuro once again stole the ball from Ren, shooting it towards Takashi. The giant was about to dunk it in when Ren finally had enough of it and rushed forward, double teaming him with Jun.

Takashi was able to maneuver around the two in mid-air with much effort, but just as the ball was about to enter the hoop, a more slender hand came up and knocked the ball away.

With Alex still suspended in mid-air, no one was present to block Haruka when he caught the ball and once again, shot it from the other end of the court.

They were back to step one again.

"What do you think of Haruka?" Kozo suddenly asked.

"Huh? Well…Talented, flexible, I guess." Sanada furrowed his brows. "He is able to go head-to-head with Alex, without even batting an eyelid and still having an advantage over her. He also seems fairly confident about himself."

"Really?" The dubious question caught him off guard.

"What?! If you were just going to criticize my observations, do not ask me in the beginning!" The tsundere coach snapped in indignity.

Kozo laughed sheepishly.

"Gomen, gomen…That wasn't my intention." He smiled apologetically when Sanada finally left his hissy mode. "It's just that…don't you think that his playing style does not suit him?"

"…Hah?" Sanada raised a brow.

Grey eyes belonging to Kozo Shirogane narrowed as he analyzed the child's physical state, and the pattern in which he plays before he finally answered his colleague.

"Most athletes would develop their playing styles in accordance to what they are physically capable of, but the child is doing it the other way around. In order to suit his playing style, he is training his body to suit it instead. Also, as a child, his fingers are short and stumpy, so why choose a style that relies on the reach and flexibility of the fingers? Don't you think that is odd?" He questioned contemplatively.

Sanada blinked, turning to look at the orange figure. Now that he thought of it…

"Furthermore…" Grey eyes strained with worry and his lips pulled into a frown.

"Furthermore?" Sanada encouraged him.

"…It is rather obvious that he possesses the hawk's eyes, just like Alex. Players like this have to shift their eyes rapidly in order to catch sight of the whole field…So why on earth is he relying more on his other senses and keeping his eyes fixated only one place?" Kozo furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Eh?" He hadn't realized that at all. Sanada could almost imagine Haruka playing with his eyes closed now, and playing only based on his sense of hearing and touch…It's as if… "It's almost as if he's a blind man playing basketball…" He noted.

The two men stood in comfortable silence, watching as the game got more intense and the two teams battled like two tigers on prowl.

"But in any case," Kozo finally concluded, when the game neared its end. "We've got to have those two in Teiko in the future."

-x-

The audience gasped, just as his ears caught track of the sharp click in the timer, signaling the start of the final minute before the game ends.

**87-87**

The glaring signs said this.

The game had started off with nobody expecting much from the Chibiko Team, but that became reversed half-way through the game with the Teiko team. And now, the Teiko representatives had caught up to them.

It was not without much effort, of course.

Haruka knew that with their consistent three-pointers and the occasionally dunk here and there, it takes more than a simple labeling of 'hard' to describe the effort the Teiko reps have to put in to keep up, with only their dunks, a rare three-pointer that managed to get pass Takashi, and one-third of the team pretty much neutralized as much as can be.

But now, they were at a standstill.

"Gaki (Brat), what's your name?" Alex was panting as she pushed herself up from her knees, barely standing with the exertion that she has been putting on herself. "I didn't manage to catch it before."

"Haruka Sorenji." The orange boy tried to say as steadily as possible, but things weren't exactly on their side, since they did have the disadvantage of age, afterall.

"I'll remember that name…" She panted before her voice lifted in volume, a smug smirk painted on her face. "Haruka Sorenji…My number one rival who managed to face me when he was two! When I get to the nationals, I'll definitely tell everyone about you!"

"Arigato, Alex-san."

Then they were quiet, bating their breath in silent anticipation as Seijuro went forward to get the ball.

Then, the frozen time begun ticking painfully again.

Seijuro immediately shot the ball in Haruka's direction, not at all surprised when his shot was blocked by a triumphant Ren, and only reaching forward calmly to tap the ball out of his grasp.

The orange object went flying in the direction of Takashi. The male was just about to reach his hand up to grab it for another dunk, but was instead surprised when a smaller hand came out and redirected the ball with barely the tip of his middle finger.

Yet again, Jun has managed to slip out of his defenses and this time, succeeded in a steal.

"Alex!" He yelled as he flipped his entire arm in her direction.

The blonde shot into action, rushing forward to block the child with her entire body. Her arm came up to grab the ball just as it flew towards her chest. She kept the ball above her waist at all times, moving it out of reach of the orange boy, and turned smugly to try to aim a three pointer into the basket.

Amber eyes narrowed and he readied himself under the basket for his own three-pointers.

The ball will not go in, he predicted, and it happened as he guessed. But what he also knew, was that Ren's temper would get the better of him by now, and instead of trying to do useless moves on the ground, he would even choose aerial battles over facing Seijuro right now.

The albino leap up, just as the ball clashed with the side of the basket, and did a dunk into the basket, a smug smirk set on his pale face.

"Do a three-pointer properly, Alex!" He called.

She merely grunted in response.

The moment the ball fell through; he took it into his tiny hands and did his usual, favorite move.

The 'shooting star' (and he still found himself embarrassed at naming it that even now) took eight seconds to land into the basket, giving them a one point over the Teiko team now.

But at the same time, in that same eight seconds, Jun had also begun running towards the other goal and reached it just as the ball fell in. Haruka momentarily had a flash of the anime, of Kuroko running against time just as Jun was doing.

There was still fifteen seconds left.

Jun caught hold of the ball, and with all the strength in his arm, tossed it towards Ren.

Both the albino and Seijuro were temporarily shocked by his choice of person to pass to, but Seijuro only waited for the other to make a move that would trigger his triple threat penetration, whereas Ren stared, bewildered, and unfortunately at a lost to what to do.

Ten seconds left.

Haruka's breath hitched when Alex brushed passed him, and very promptly slapped the ball out of Ren's hands.

Three pairs of red, scarlet and amber widened in shock.

Haruka then realized, that even though Seijuro _is_ able to find the elementary stance which all moves have to go through, he is not the experienced Akashi Seijuro from the manga, who had much practice and was able to do so to many people without effort. Now, he still could only focus on one person at any time! And if that person didn't realize from the beginning...There would be no signs that an upcoming move was approaching.

Damn his lack of awareness!

Alex had leap up from the other side of the basket by the time he shook himself awake, dunking the ball in with no small amount of ferocity.

Five seconds.

Amber eyes widened.

Haruka quickly rushed forward to catch the ball.

Four seconds.

He lifted the ball in his normal shooting stance, and prepared himself to shoot.

Three seconds.

Sh…Shit…Not enough time…they do not have enough time at all!

But just as he launched the ball, he stopped breathing when he felt a too coincidental brush of wind at the back of his head, a wind that could only be conjured by fast moving actions.

Two seconds.

Haruka gasped when he saw how fast the ball was flying through the air – much, much faster than his usual offenses, even with all his fingers.

Gaping, he fell back and landed on Seijuro, who he could only assume have accelerated the ball with another punch of the pointer finger just as the orange object was lifted off Haruka's hand.

One second.

The ball was changing directions before taking a sudden leap in speed, so fast that not even his usual shots could have compared.

Then, it was zero-

_Flomp!_

-seconds.

A buzzer beater.

Haruka breathed, not daring to believe it until the referee finally broke the icy silence that had froze over the entire court somewhere in the middle of the same.

"91 to 93, the Chibiko's team!"

Cheers erupted at his announcement. And now that he finally took his attention off the game to look at his surroundings, he realized that somewhere, somehow, in the middle of the game, most of Teiko had heard the news of two two years olds challenging the Teiko basketball game. It was amusing how they were cheering for the opposite side though, and nodding with approval at their own members despite their loses.

Haruka could feel his fingers quiver from all the strain so far, but he couldn't care less. He finally smiled, breaking out in laughter as Takashi suddenly lifted him up and swung him in circles.

"KYAAAaaa…!" He screamed in joy, for once acting like the two year old he knew he was. "Taka-nii! Sei! We won! WE WON!" And the euphoria this time far exceeded his last match.

The silent giant allowed a smile to overtake his stoic expression as he swung the orange boy higher, listening to the giggles of the girls watching, the cheers of his schoolmates, and the laughter of the boy above him. It was official. This boy was going to be his little brother.

"Ah~ We lost." But still, Jun smiled fondly as he walked up to the winners.

"But it was fun, at least." Ren stretched his body with a mischievous grin before looking up at the tall giant snuggling a giggling Haruka. "Oi, Takashi, let me have a turn also!"

"If you're going to let him, I want a turn also!" Alex whined suddenly, surprising them. Many simply passed it off as her maternal instincts. "It's not fair if you all get to hug him and I don't!"

"Ah-! Me too!" Jun joined in.

Seijuro watched the scene with weary, but contented eyes and blinked when his cousin was finally let down after a long series of hugs.

Haruka circled him with a wide smile before glomping him tightly.

"We won!"

"Hn." Seijuro blinked and hesitantly hugged back, burying his own smile in Haruka's shoulder.

Despite the ache throughout his whole body, Seijuro couldn't really care about anything else. His little, tiny, beloved cousin was smiling, and if a simple game was enough to bring that smile to his face, he would play a million games if need be to keep it on forever.

-x-

"How did it become like this?" Ren grumbled.

Haruka couldn't help but think about how similar this was to the Generation of Miracles. Somehow, they had ended up outside a convenience store eating ice pops (that came from a box) that was bought with Ren's money.

It had started when Ren invited him along, and with him, came Seijuro. Then as Ren's buddy, Jun had also happily joined them to snack off his friend's pocket money, before Alex also appeared midway through their journey to the store and since Ren couldn't refuse her, she also joined.

As for Takashi, none of them could possibly have known that the Mitobe were in charge of running a long line of convenience stores. He was the poor store clerk who had to take care of them.

"Well, isn't it okay?" Alex laughed.

"It's not!" He growled playfully. "You guys are snacking on my pocket money! Ah, other than for Haruka and Seijuro, that is. They were the only ones I invited along!"

"Arigato gozaimasu." Haruka smiled.

"We appreciate your gesture." Seijuro nodded.

"What about your loving best friend then, huh? R-e-n?" Jun smirked. "Is it not a gesture of friendship when one treats another to a snack?"

"That would be fine only when the other does not do it every single day that their 'friendship' lasts." Ren deadpanned.

"Your family is loaded, so it is acceptable." Jun brushed off his comment.

"That's right!" Alex nodded furiously in agreement.

"Ah." Takashi munched on his ice pop.

"Geh." Ren's eye twitched. "Since when did I become the reasonable one here?"

"You were never the reasonable one." Seijuro said.

"HUH? You got something you want to say to my face, kid?" The albino growled, still peeved about losing a match which he had issued.

"You were never the reasonable one." He repeated with a louder tone.

"What was that? You said that too softly." Ren's open display of childishness was only proving his point.

A scarlet brow twitched in annoyance. This man…He really does remind him of his own mother, only in a different kind of 'irritating way'.

"You, Ren, are the most boisterous, idiotic fool I have ever met. Now, if you would please kindly unhand me." He snapped, hands suddenly twitching for something to hit the albino with.

Haruka blinked from the sidelines and sweatdropped. Wait…Is it possible that the one who triggered Sei's scissors fetish from the beginning was…Ren? Maybe…just…maybe…this happened in the original storyline?

…Nevermind.

He doubted so.

"HUH?! You've finally snapped my nerves of steel, kid!" He shouted.

"What 'nerves of steel'?" Jun sniggered.

"LET'S HAVE ANOTHER MATCH TO DECIDE WHO IS MORE REASONABLE! YOU, OR ME? HERE AND NOW!" He exclaimed.

"Very well." Scarlet eyes were twitching rapidly as he shrugged off his jacket. "I will be more than happy to show you who is the superior one here!"

"Eh?! W-Wait-!" Jun stuttered. "Here and now?!"

'But I still haven't eat finish my ice pop!" Alex whined.

"YES! HERE AND NOW. GET READY, JUN, ALEX!"

They yelped as muscular arms surrounded and trapped them from all possible paths of escape, dragging them along to the closest court.

"Haru, Taka-nii. We should go as well." Seijuro grabbed both their hands and followed the noisy, bantering trio. Scarlet eyes shone with determination. "We will not lose to a fool like him."

Eh…?

Amber eyes blinked owlishly as he was dragged along with the rest of the Teiko seniors, and Seijuro, to the nearest court for their next game.

I-It can't possibly be, right?

B-But….

EEEEEEEEH?

…C-Could the meeting with the Teiko seniors actually have triggered Seijuro's overconfident side…?

"CHIBIKO TEAM, WE'LL DEFINITELY WIN AGAINST YOU?!"

"In your dreams." Seijuro snorted.

-x-

**A/N: I...I apologize. Somehow, I feel like that this has gone slightly over the top, as compared to the other matches. I tried doing it from the coaches' point of view, but the match somehow turned out to be so much shorter than usual. However, I do hope that this shows how Seijuro and Haruka are bonding with the Teiko seniors. And for those who do not understand Alex's sudden change in personality after the match, I would like to say that the match managed to help them bond, allowing her to be more open, as Kagami was after playing alongside Kuroko.**

**Besides that, I've updated twice this week, due to the loving reviews you guys have given me! At first, gmail moved them to spam so I got so down about 'Not receiving any reviews (TT^TT)' and 'Maybe they hated it...', and when I found them, I was so happy that I just somehow typed this out! I hope you guys have enjoyed it!**

**Oh, and also, to Uniquemangalover; I will try to put the innocent kiss scene in, but no promises! To the others, do continue to suggest more fluff, and I will consider them for future chapters! **


	5. NOTICE

NOTICE

Dear readers and followers of this story,

Even though this may seem abrupt, I have decided to rewrite ReBirth from the start so as to fix some of the major problems which I have noticed in my story thus far. Besides the all-too-obvious one about Haruka and Seijuro's ages, which I'm sure most of you might have noticed, there have also been others, which I have ran into whilst attempting to write the fifth chapter. One such obstacle includes Haruka's personality, which I am still not decided about yet. Whilst many have told me so far that they like him, I find him slightly too goody-two-shoes, so I find it best to give him a fixed set of characteristics before going deeper into the story.

In addition, I would like to give my apologies to those who have been looking forward to the next chapter. As it is, if I continue writing this story, these small seeds of doubt would only grow bigger and show in the later chapters. However, you are welcomed to review and tell me about what you have or have not liked about my story so far, so I will be able to further improve ReBirth.

Also, lastly, I would like to thank those who have reviewed and kindly pointed out my mistakes so far. Without you guys, I'm sure I would have continued down this ignorant track and allowed rebirth to (with a lack of better phrasing) go to hell. Your criticisms are much appreciated.

With that, I end this long notice here. Please look forward to a better ReBirth the next time I update.

-Fortius


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